


I need you

by EyesOfHorus82



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Adorable Baby Yoda (The Mandalorian TV), Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Betrayal, Blood and Injury, Depression, Father-Son Relationship, Friendship, Healing, Hurt Din Djarin, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Major Character Injury, Mandalorian, Moral Dilemmas, Protective Din Djarin, Sacrifice, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:33:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 25,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26701477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EyesOfHorus82/pseuds/EyesOfHorus82
Summary: Inspired by the season two trailer. Things are going horribly wrong and Din is forced to team up with some strangers to save the child from the Empire. Summary might change.
Comments: 49
Kudos: 84





	1. It's a trap!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys, this is my first multichapter fic. I got this idea after watching the season 2 trailer. I hope you enjoy.

I need you

Din had a bad feeling when they entered the ferry, but he also knew they hadn’t got much options left. Since they’d crashed down with the Razor Crest, their mobility depended on luck. But fortunately, they still remained undiscovered. With a silent sigh the mandalorian looked down to the kid, who was looking back at him. Worried. Din had noticed some changes in his personality recently. Sometimes, his gleefully mood was completely gone and he almost put on a worried, or frightened behavior. Secretly Mando wished to be able to make him at least a little more happy again. 

Those big brown eyes were staring at him and although he wasn’t able to speak, Din somehow knew exactly what he would be saying if he could. The last couple of months tied their bond into a deep affection for each other and the mandalorian started to love him as his own. “I know, I have a bad feeling about this too. But it’s the only way to get out of here. We need to get another ship” the mandalorian explained and walked ahead, letting the child hover in his pram right behind him. He was sick of being stuck on this water planet. Nothing but endless, dark oceans, weird people and the constant smell of rotten fish and salty air at the port. 

The ferry’s engines started and the whole ship began vibrating. Slowly, they made their way out of the port into the wide open sea. Din and the child remained on deck, to keep an eye on the other passengers. Since they were waiting to get on board, the warrior had the feeling that someone observed them. For a second, he thought someone with a dark, hooded cloak was watching them. But when he took a look around, the person was nowhere to be found. Din tried to relax and supported his elbows on the ship’s railing, watching the dark waves slamming against the bow. Spum sprinkled on his visor and the cold wind made him shiver for a moment. “Are you cold?” he asked the child, who was nodding back at him. 

Din lifted him up and wrapped his blue blanket more tightly around the kid’s freezing body. For a moment, he held him in his arms, trying to warm him up a little. “Is this better?” Mando asked his little companion, but he had his anwer by having him snuggling onto the not in beskar covered side of his chest, trying to warm himself on Din's body heat.

The Mandalorian smiled underneath his helmet and covered the little body with his gloved hand to provide more warmth. He felt the kid’s shivering got easier and they remained watching the desolate waving of the ocean. “Pretty dreary isn’t it?” he asked and looked down to the little one, who actually was about to fall asleep. 

“Seems like you’re more comfortable now. What about getting you something to eat and check out the cabin, which I’ve booked?” he asked the sleepy child and got a low affirmative coo from him. Carefully, Din put him back into his pram and closed the hatch to protect him from curious eyes. 

Actually, there weren’t many other passengers on the ship and everyone was minding his own business. Regardless, Din tried to keep an eye on everyone around him because the person with the cloak still stuck on his mind. They went down the stairs to speak to the guy behind the dirty desk. 

“Hey, I’ve paid for a cabin and a warm meal. Where can I get it?” he asked the guy, who had an almost toothless and dirty face. “Ah, a Mandalorian. Of course, of course, I’ll fetch someone to show you your room. Snacks are provided there too. I guess you guys prefer to eat in private?” the guy mumbled with a low chuckle and threw a quick glance at the hovering pram. They waited a few minutes for the coworker to come. It was a pretty big guy, almost the body shape of Burg. He nodded at Din and said “At your service, please follow me.” and went ahead. 

A gnawing feeling started to spread in Din’s stomach so he put his hand on the close to his blaster, ready to draw it anytime. The deeper they went into the dark floors of the ship, the more Din’s suspicious feelings grew. The walls were damp and there was a constant rotten smell, which crept underneath his helmet. More and more discomfort rose inside of him. 

From time to time he heard footsteps, which didn’t belong to him or the guy walking in front of him. The ship was creaking from every corner. They went down a dimly lit corridor with flickering lights attached to the walls. At the end of the corridor, the big guy pushed down the rusty handle of a wooden door. 

“I hope it’s all for your comfort….” he grunted and Din threw a cautious look inside. It was a shabby, gloomy and pretty small room with an old, dirty bed, a table and a chair inside. There was no window and the only source of light was a small oil lamp in the middle of the wooden table. Din slowly went inside, but before he could fetch the child, the big guy rammed his fist into the mandalorians stomach, which threw him off the ground and he crashed against the wall. The punch had pushed all of his oxygen out of his lungs and he gasped for air. But before he could get up again, the guy threw a small, blinking device into the room, grabbed the child’s pram and locked the door. 

Three seconds later, the small device detonated, ripped a big whole into the ship's floor and hurled Din against the wall. Instantly, cold, black water flooded the room and sloshed over Din’s prone body, because the explosion and the impact had knocked him out for a moment. 

Groaning he pushed himself up and it took a second for him to realize what had just happened. Quickly, he got on his feet again and slammed his fist against the locked door trying to open it. Still he felt a slight dizziness and his back sustained quite some bruises. But he had to focus on the things now because the level of the water was getting higher and higher, now almost reaching to his hip. 

It was freezing cold and the mandalorian started shivering. “Damnit, I knew it was a trap!” he cussed and threw himself against the door, desperately trying to open it. The water was getting higher and higher and Din ran out of ideas. He activated his flamethrower to burn a hole into the door, but since it was wet there only remained a black spot. He started firing his blaster but the door but he was caught in a wave which ripped it from his hand. The mandalorian cursed and searched for his blaster but it was lost. Another wave of cold water threw Din against the wall, making him dizzy for a moment. 

Now the water level was over his chest and Din slowly began to panic. He grabbed the wooden chair and smashed it against the door, but it only broke into pieces. Again and again he slammed his fist against the door but it was useless. Now he almost had to swim to keep his head out of the water. The cold made it hard for him to breathe.

It felt like his chest was in an icy grip, which tightened every second. He tried to dive, trying to get out of the ship through the hole in the floor, but he couldn’t squeeze himself through, in fact, he got stuck for a moment. It was hard for him to swim in his beskar armor too, because it constantly dragged him down. Quickly he broke through the surface again and gasped, but he noticed the room was almost completely filled with water. 

He just had enough space to keep his head out of the water, but more and more quickly the space narrowed. He felt his chest tighten even more, his heart was racing painfully against his ribs. Desperate he slammed his fist on the ceiling and called for help, although he knew, no one would come. Now the moment had come, he didn’t have the space to keep his head out of the water. He took a last deep breath and dived. Din knew, he had to come up with an idea now, or he would drown. 

But suddenly, he had an idea, when his hand touched his belt. He still had his little bombs which he could use, but he knew he would risk to hurt or even kill himself using it in this small room. But he knew this was his last shot, so he tried it. The mandalorian grabbed one of them and activated the timer. He dropped it and swam the opposite direction, trying to get as much as space as possible between him and the bomb. His vision began to blur as he was running out of air. The cold water made it almost impossible for him to move or to think clearly and the lack of oxygen made his senses fade.

A few seconds later, the bomb detonated and he felt the shockwave from below, pressing him against the wall. Small, wooden shards pierced his flesh and the detonation ripped a whole into the ceiling. It took a moment for him to regain consciousness again, but now he saw a spot of light from below. With last strength he swam as fast as he could toward the open hole. When he broke through the surface he inhaled a deep breath of salty air. Quickly he climbed on deck and collapsed on his back, panting. Now he knew, he was safe but his body was still trembling from the adrenaline rush.

But suddenly a certain thought hit his mind. “The Kid!” he gasped and pushed himself up. He didn’t care if he was actually unarmed now, he had to find the child no matter what. Quickly, Din sprinted to the other side of the ship's deck, noticing that he was all alone now and the ferry was close to sink. But suddenly he saw a group of three StormTroopers in front of him so he hid behind a barrel. “I hope Gideon is finishing his business soon, don’t wanna drown here.” he heard one of them saying. 

“I think they are searching for the Mandalorian since the second explosion. They think he has escaped.” another one replied. “How is it possible to survive that kind of explosion, when you are in the same room as the detonation happened? It almost ripped the whole ship in half” the other one answered, while the others nodded confirming. Din knew he could only retrieve the child as long as Gideon was on the ship. He looked around and grabbed a metal rod which was laying on the ground. Not particularly the weapon he had hoped for but better than nothing. Quietly, he snuck behind the Trooper in front of him and knocked him down. Instantly he had to dodge the blaster shots of his companions, but with some skilled moves, he managed to overpower all three of them. 

But before he was able to grab a gun, he was shot in his shoulder. “I think we found him!” a Death Trooper said as Din was composing himself again. The shot had hit him right in the unprotected space between his shoulder pauldron and his beskar chest plate. Unfortunately it was his right arm and the pain caused him to drop his weapon. In a matter of seconds he was surrounded by Death Troopers aiming their blasters at him. 

But suddenly he heard someone clapping, the ring of Troopers parted and Moff Gideon stepped into their circle. “What a creative way to escape your wet grave, Din Djarin. But I think you've only postponed your death. This time, I’m gonna make sure you die by my own hands.” Gideon snarled and tightened his grip around a small bundle, wrapped in a blue blanket. 

“Kid!” Din called and stepped forward, but Gideon aimed his blaster at him. “He’s coming with me. I have some plans for him, but first I need you out of the way, Djarin.” Gideon chuckled and fired another shot, which hit Din’s right thigh. The mandalorian was forced to his knees, groaning in pain. “Let him go, Gideon…” he growled and noticed the metal rod he had used before was lying right beside him. 

He knew his chances were low, but he grabbed it and threw it towards his opponent, causing him to stumble and drop the child, who was rolling towards Din. The mandalorian took his chance and jumped right at him and curled protectively over the child. “Don’t shoot!” the Moff ordered and got up again. “What a desperate attempt to save him, but I don’t think it improved your situation.” Gideon snarled with all of his arrogance in his voice and approached Din and the child.

“You know, there’s something you don’t know about me. I am well aware of the powers your child is using.” he said and stretched his arm after Din and made a fist. Suddenly the mandalorian’s neck felt like being crushed by some invisible force. He dropped the child and grabbed his throat, gasping for air. Gideon grinned while he watched him struggling. But he didn’t notice the child rose from his blanket and used his own powers to protect his father from being choked. 

Din collapsed to the ground, when he felt the choking was over. Gideon was confused for a moment by the fact his force powers weren’t affecting him anymore, but soon his glance caught the child. He saw him focusing and decided to change his target. The Moff used his power to hurl the kid against the wooden wall, where he slipped down, unconscious. “No!” Din screamed, drew his knife from his shin guard and leaped at the older man. 

But Gideon was faster and used the force to slam Din’s body against the same wall, the kid had been thrusted onto. The mandalorian fell to the ground, right beside his foundling. “Are you okay?” Din whispered desperately and pulled him into a close embrace. A small laceration on his fuzzy head leaked some blood down to his face. But he was still breathing, what relieved Din for a moment. He held him close, because he didn’t know if they would make it out here alive. “How touching….” the Moff said and gave a silent order to two of his Death Troopers. 

Din felt something was hitting his back. One of the Troopers had used the metal rod and slammed it between Mandos' shoulder blades. He let go of his foundling and arched his back. “Grab him!” Gideon ordered and his servants obliged. Violently they grabbed Din’s arms, holding him down on his knees with his face forced towards Gideon. One of the Troopers retrieved the kid, who was still unconscious. “The game is over, Djarin. I don’t want to just kill you, I want to see your face when I’m doing it.” The imp said and approached Din, who tried to break free from the others grasp. 

Gideon bent down to him and grabbed his neck, pushing him against the wall. “I want to see the light in your eyes fading when you die” he whispered, grabbed Din’s helmet and pulled it off. The mandalorian had closed his eyes and accepted his defeat. But no matter if he is unmasked now, he still had to protect the child. But he knew his chances were close to zero. Gideon looked at him and put his helmet to the ground. “So that’s the man behind the mask, too bad you won’t have much time to grieve it’s loss.” he said viciously and commanded his Troopers to pull Din on his feet, pressing him against the wall behind him. 

Din didn’t dare to move, he knew he had lost. “I’m gonna leave this ship now, along with the foundling. And be assured, you will never see him again. It’s time to say goodbye.” Gideon whispered and looked into Din’s eyes. From the corner of his eye, the mandalorian saw the small, motionless bundle and in his thoughts he begged for apology. The Moff noticed his struggle and pulled out a metal hit, which he pressed against Din’s body, right below his beskar chestplate. Mando felt the pressure, but couldn’t tell what was the point of this. “Any last words?” Gideon said and waited a second. “I’m sorry, Kid.” Din screamed in his mind and closed his eyes. 

A low hum sounded and a hot piercing pain shot through Din's lower chest. The Dark Saber had impaled him completely. Mando felt his blood pressure dropping and struggled to stay conscious. He couldn't move since the blade still stuck inside him. "I can see your pain but I want to hear it too." Gideon whispered and tightened his grip on the hilt. Slowly he began twisting the blade and Din screamed in pain. His wound widened and a spray of blood left his body when Gideon finally pulled it out. 

Din collapsed to the ground trying to catch his breath. The wall behind him was coated in his blood. His head laid right beside his helmet and he saw his reflection in it. Suddenly he heard a crack and Gideon stabbed the top of the helmet with his sword 

"You're tough I gotta admit. Do you want me to end your suffering?“ Gideon offered and drew his blaster, aiming at Din's head. But the mandalorian would rather die in agony than to beg for his death."I-I'm… gonna m-make you… pay you f-for that…" Din stammered as he felt his life was fading away with every drop of blood he lost. 

It started raining, Gideon laughed and turned to his Death Troopers. With blurred vision Din was forced to watch Gideon picking up the kid. "Get him a nice wet grave, I hope some fishes are hungry." the Moff ordered and turned to Din one last time to shoot his other leg to make sure he couldn't swim. That pain knocked him out for a while, he didn't feel he was roughly pulled on his feet and being dragged to the railing of the ship. 

But Mando quickly realized being thrown into the cold, black sea. He yelled when his wounds came in contact with the salt water. Desperate he struggled to keep his head above the water and he had to watch Gideon and his crew entering another, smaller boat. From the distance he saw him holding the little bundle of blue blankets. 

But when they disappeared into the mist of the sea, he accepted his defeat and his tears mixed with rain on sea water. Pain consumed his body and he was carried away by the waves until the ice cold ocean pulled him underneath his surface and let him drift off into darkness.


	2. Unexpected help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sabine Wren was tracking down Gideon as she realized that the Moff left Din to die in the ocean. No she has a decision to make to stuck on her mission or to help on of her people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm in writing mood today, so here's chapter 2

Sabine Wren was surprised by her sight, she hadn't seen another mandalorian for a very long time. But she had no idea, who he was or what clan he belonged to. She was curious but reminded herself not to get distracted in her mission. For a moment she watched the silver helmeted mandalorian with his little green someone. 

She couldn't tell from the distance what kind of species the little green fellow was, but he had caught her attention. Suddenly she noticed the mandalorian was looking at her and she hid behind the wooden boxes beside her. The contact, she barely trusted, had shared the information that Gideon prepared an attack on this ferry and she wanted to get him. 

Since he had killed Bo Katan, Sabine's heart was filled with an insatiable hunger for vengeance. She wanted to get the Darksaber back, it was her mission, her destiny. For the folk of mandalore and most importantly herself. But now she had to be cautious not to draw any attention to her, so she pulled the hood of her cloak deeper into her face and took cover again. The female mandalorian waited for a few minutes before she peeked from the corner again to observe the ferry. 

The passengers began to board the ship, along with the other mandalorian, who took a suspicious look around again. "Who are you? And what are you hiding in this pram?“ she asked herself and after she had studied him closer, Sabine was pretty sure he was a bounty hunter. And the fact that he was carrying such excellent crafted beskar, she assumed he was very successful in his profession. Suddenly she noticed a signet on his shoulder but couldn't tell what it was. He took another look around before entering the ship. 

Sabine went down to the port and watched her target entering the wide, black sea. The wind almost blew the hood from her colourful short hair, but she grabbed the fabric quickly. The female mandalorian waited so the ferry had a little advance in time, so she could follow them unseen. She went down some slippery stairs to where she kept an old, motorized canoe hidden. 

After she mounted it, she pulled her colourful helmet from her cloak and slipped it on her head to protect her face from wind and water. With a kick on the trigger on the side of the engine in the rear of the boat it started and she followed the ferry, but tried to keep her distance. Sabine was lucky that there was quite a fog around her. For a moment she thought, she had lost sight of her target but seconds later she heard a loud explosion and stopped her canoe instantly. 

The mists cleared a little and she noticed a second boat docking on the ferry. "That has to be Gideon's" she thought but hesitated approaching it at first. Then she heard a second explosion much louder than the first one. The bow of the ferry began to crack and bent. "Shit, what is happening there?“ she muttered and started her engine again, slowly approaching Gideon's boat to hide herself on the rear. Suddenly she heard him laughing and another man's painful groaning. 

"Any last words?" Sabine heard him saying, followed by silence. Seconds later she heard the other man's agonizing scream and her stomach tied into a knot. No matter who was screaming up there, the female mandalorian knew he was in excruciating pain or dead by now. The Moff was laughing again and the hate she felt for this man rose way beyond her limits. Sabine quickly checked her weapons and was ready to interfere but suddenly she heard something being dropped into the water. 

"You didn't dare!“ she cussed and slowly she snuck out from her hiding spot to see what happened. The knot in her stomach tightened when she realized it was the other mandalorian she watched at the port."No!" Sabine gasped and almost blew her cover when Gideon went on his ship again. Hiding at the bow of the ferry, she saw him holding a little bundle, wrapped in a blue blanket with some blood stains on it. A limp, green ear peeked out of it and Sabine shuddered. 

"Let's get out of here, I need to take the Asset to Dr. Pershing" Gideon commanded and Sabine aimed her blaster at him. But something else caught her attention. She heard the loud gasping and groaning from the mandalorian, who was struggling to keep his head out of the water. Now Sabine was in conflict, should she try to shoot Gideon and risk to kill that little someone he carries or should she save the mandalorian, who is drowning right in front of her? 

When the engines of Gideon's boat started she simultaneously watched the mandalorian being tugged under water. She had to make a choice but the Moff's boat began to turn, so he was no longer in her aim. Sabine cursed under her breath and was forced to watch her target disappear into the foggy mist of the rough sea. Quickly she turned her canoe to the last spot she had seen the mandalorian drowning. 

Nervously she looked around but she couldn't see him. Although she didn't know the man she felt compassion for one of her kind. Sabine sucked in a breath and jumped into the ice cold water. At first she cou see anything and turned on the torch on her helmet. Then she saw him, floating about 15 feet underneath her. Quickly she dived deeper and eventually managed to grab his arm. 

Sabine pulled him up and wrapped one arm around his torso. As fast as she could, she swam back to the surface but she also noticed something warm was leaking from a hole in the man's chest. She sucked in a deep breath when she broke through the surface in contrast to the man in her arms, whose body was just limp. Quickly she dragged him into her boat and climbed into it after him. 

Now she finally got to throw a closer look at the other mandalorian. He was covered in silvery, shiny beskar with a dark flight suit and cape around his neck. He had a mustache and some facial hair on his cheeks and chin. She further realized his skin tone was ghostly pale and his wet, dark hair stuck on his forehead. 

Sabine leaned closer and noticed the jagged stab wound on his chest with an exit wound on his back and a total of three shot wounds. One on his right shoulder and one of each of his legs. Sabine was pretty sure he had some serious internal bleeding since his breathing sounded strained and ragged. 

"Hey can you hear me?" she asked and bent over him to feel his pulse on his neck. It was weak but there, which relieved her a little."Where is your helmet?" she asked although she knew he wouldn't answer. Sabine sighed and began to rip parts from his cloak to make a few makeshift bandages. Quickly she dressed the wounds on his shoulder and legs but when she moved on to lift his torso to wrap the cloth around his chest, she elicited a low groan from him. 

After she tied the knot from the bandage, she eased him on his back again and realized his facial expression now indicated pure pain. "Hey, can you hear me?“ she asked and put her hand on his stubbly cheek. Din didn't answer but his breathing quickened, when he heard someone was with him."I need to get you out of here…" the female mandalorian acknowledged promptly and started the engines again. 

Din had no idea what was happening around him. For a short moment his consciousness was almost back at him so he was able to open his eyes a bit. But he could only see the dark, grey clouds above him and the rain, which was pouring on his face. He felt he was moving, but couldn’t tell why and with whom. But seconds later his brain realized he was becoming too conscious and pain hit him like a flash. A loud groan escaped his mouth but he instantly blacked out again. 

Sabine heard his groaning and felt a sting in her stomach. She felt so bad for him because obviously Gideon had tortured him and wounded him so extensively. "Stay with me…" Sabine whispered as she checked his breathing and heartbeat again. She felt he was getting weaker, but she was glad they weren't far from their base now. She and some of her rebel friends had conquered an old imperial base, safely hidden by cliffs, where they operated from. 

Her glance went back to the mandalorian, who was now shivering. Quickly she grabbed the remaining fabric of his cape to cover him with. She touched his cheek again and felt his ice cold skin. He was clearly suffering from hypothermia. "We're going to get you help. Whoever you are…." she whispered and squeezed his arm.


	3. Delirium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He wanted to be with him, he wanted to touch him, making sure he was okay because he slowly considered the fact, he wasn't…."

The child's eyes felt too heavy to open them. Never before the little one felt pain like that. His head was throbbing and he felt the dry blood was sticking on his face. The kid felt too weak to even move and he didn't dare trying it in the first place. But one thing he was well aware of, he has been captured by some evil man and this fact scared him to the core. He longed to be with Din again and felt tears brimming his eyes when he thought of him. 

The kid had no experience with emotional distress so he felt it physically. He didn't want to be here, he missed the comfort of Din's embrace, the warmth when he snuggled on his chest and his calming voice when he talked to him. But now everything was gone and the last feeling he had shared with him was excruciating pain and fear. 

I'm fact he was too small to understand his feelings, but he knew that he was alone now. "Moff Gideon, with all my respect, the kid is badly hurt. I need to treat him before we can start extracting the material." Dr. Pershing stammered and prepared for a rant from his boss. But Gideon was in quite a good mood and just shrugged his shoulders. "I don't care, patch him up if you need to. The mandalorian is dead so we can take any time we need to. Maybe we can use him as a permanent source for the material." Moff Gideon said thoughtfully. 

"This is crazy…." Pershing muttered "but not impossible. It depends on the physical condition and the rate of reproduction of the material. The little one will be in excruciating pain though…." he added, his voice getting lower while finishing his sentence. "And do we care about that?“ Gideon threatened and gave his subordinate an evil glance."No, of course not…." Pershing stammered. "But I really need to patch him up first, so he won't die in a matter of minutes. Shouldn't be taking longer than a week perhaps." he added and looked into the little, pale green face. 

"Fine, just do your job…" Gideon said and turned away. "I'm sorry, little guy…." the doctor whispered and began treating the Kid's wounds…..

Din was floating, he felt the heaviness of the ocean laying upon him and increasing the deeper he sunk. His eyes were too heavy to open and his lungs were craving for air. The cold of the sea made his beaten body feeling completely numb but he felt the pressure in his chest increased even more. 

He knew his brain was slowly shutting down and provided him a painless death by keeping him unconscious. But suddenly he felt someone grabbing his arm, pulling him up. He felt an arm wrapped around his torso, roughly touching his wound which caused him almost enough pain to get him closer to break the sweet surface of oblivion. 

The next thing he remembered was the cold sensation of rain dripping down his bare face. He heard a voice from the distance. A female voice. "Hey, can you hear me?" and Din felt a warm hand touching his cheek. Actually he felt a little comfort in this touch, but darkness tugged at him again…. 

The child felt being put on the soft surface of a mat. Warm hands examined him gently, trying to avoid any pain. "A skull fracture, lacerations…. Who did this to you?“ Dr. Pershing concluded when he checked the result of the Kid's medscan. The little one felt the headache becoming stronger but his body still kept him out of consciousness. 

In his mind he remembered Din being smashed against the wall. He wanted to help him. He remembered when Gideon pulled the helmet from his head and although the kid had never seen his face before, it looked very familiar to him. Still the kid heard Din's agonized screams in his mind and it broke his little heart. He wanted to be with him, he wanted to touch him, making sure he was okay because he slowly considered the fact, he wasn't…. 

Din managed to open his eyes a bit but his vision was completely blurred. The only thing he could tell was he was lying on a soft, warm surface. Everything around him was dipped and illuminated in white, warm light and only blurred shadows and silhouettes moved around him. 

Fortunately, his ears were working better but only scrabby. In addition, his senses allowed him to feel when someone touched him, so he was clearly aware someone had begun to remove his armor. 

"How is it possible he's still alive?" 

“where did you find him? "

Din felt cool air grazing his skin, someone seemed to have stripped him off his clothes. He was freezing instantly because his body was still drenched and suffering from hypothermia. 

"Quickly, get him a blanket." he heard someone saying. The mandalorian couldn't even determine if it was a male or a female voice. Next he felt someone gently palpating the area around his wound on his chest and the other shot wounds. 

"The damage is extensive, he needs a medscan. I don't know if I can save him" 

"Stab wound on his chest with an exit wound on his back. His left lung is damaged and so is his spleen. Several internal bleedings, some cracked ribs, diaphragmatic hernia. Cardiac arrhythmia, blood pressure is too low. And these are just the injuries on his chest. When he's going into shock, he's lost. I don't think he's gonna make it."

"Please just let me die" Din begged in his mind, the only clear thought he had for hours. 

"No, you have to try it. He's one of my people." the female voice, Din had recognized on the boat said. One of her people, what does that mean? Din's brain was too exhausted to solve this riddle though. 

Suddenly, he felt a warm liquid spreading on his chest and his energy left his body. 

"Shit, he's bleeding again, you need to do something." Din heard the female stating while someone applied pressure on his chest. Probably to stop the bleeding. 

"Oh crap, he needs surgery. Now!“ was the last thing he heard.

He felt someone put an oxygen mask over his face and counted down from ten." I hope he'll survive the anesthesia in the first place" someone said as Din's brain blacked out.


	4. Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now we're gonna dig deep into some subconsciousness.

Din had no idea how long he had been unconscious. He heard some scraps of conversation from time to time. Sometimes when he was in the deepest realm of unconsciousness, he felt the urge to never wake up again. Deep down in his heart he wished for death. He didn't know if the child was still alive, that was the only reason to keep fighting for him. But this feeling slowly began to fade. What would he tell him? That he had failed? That he was sorry? 

Din knew he just took the easiest path, just to remain unconscious, hoping for his death to come soon. His body was ready, he felt like he only was alive because his spirit forced him to. But this flame was already flickering. The mandalorian knew to which state he would return if he'd wake up. Pain, guilt, probably permanent issues physically and mentally. Nevertheless, his deep affection for the child kept him alive, somehow. 

"He's been out for two days now, are you sure he's alright?“ Sabine said and turned to a younger guy behind her."Hey, we've done all we could, we're not miracle workers" Sam said and crossed his arms over his chest. The young healer and his twin brother had spent many hours in the operation theater, desperately trying to keep Din alive. 

"Sabine, we've lost him twice on the table, his vitals are highly unstable and he shows signs of an acute sepsis. By the way, isn't he one of those mandalorians who are forbidden to take their helmets off? In that case, he probably wants to die anyway and we just postponed it" Sam said and left the room. Sabine sat beside Din's bed and put her hand on his arm. "I hope not, we can't afford to lose another brother of Mandalore…" she said sadly. 

The child was sleeping tightly, Pershing had given him a mild sedative to keep him calm and let him rest. His mind has escaped into the safe cradle of dreams. No one could harm him here, he has been here a lot before he has met Din Djarin. His young life hadn't been the easiest or brightest but since he was in the mandalorian's care, the kid got to know how it felt being loved. And although Din wasn't the one who carried his emotions on his sleeve, he showed his affection in his own way. 

It was dark around him but soon the mists cleared. Then he saw him, lying on a table in front of him. As fast as his short legs could carry him, he ran at Din, but the mandalorian laid there completely still. He was not visibly breathing. His hands rested on his sides and his unhelmeted head slightly tilted to his left. 

Quickly the child climbed to his side, slowly approaching the lifeless prone body in front of him. Carefully he put his three fingered hand on Din's shoulder, noticing his skin was cold. Panicking the child tried to shake him, but no response. That was not the kind of dream he used to have. This was not the place where he searched for comfort. And it didn't feel like a nightmare either. 

The kid went to his face and kneeled down beside him. His little hands touched Din's stubbly cheek, while the little one was studying his face. He looked peacefully, like he was sleeping. This was how the kid had imagined Din would look like underneath his helmet. But slowly he began to realize that he would never look at him with his dark eyes and would never talk to him with his calm voice again. 

Grief grabbed his heart and the kid climbed on his chest. He centered his hands right above Din's still heart and focused on his forces. Desperately he tried to make it beating again, but the more he tried the more he realized he couldn't bring him back to life. Crying the little one collapsed on his father, his little hands clutching on his skin while his tears dripped down on Din's chest. 

'Father, I need you' 

Far, far away Din heard these words in his mind and something deep inside him ripped him from his slumber. It felt like a new flame of hope grew inside of him. Slowly he opened his heavy eyes. He heard a steady beeping noise beside him. Still Din couldn't see clearly but he felt his senses returning. His body was covered in sweat and he was shivering. 

He knew he had to go through all this pain when he woke up, but the voice, which had called him revived his spirit. First he noticed, he wasn't breathing on his own, something in his throat forced oxygen into his sore lungs. Din's body felt like lead and the blood in his veins felt like lava. He was plagued with high fever. 

The more he came closer to the surface of consciousness, the faster the beeping noise grew. Was that the sound of his heartbeat? He didn't know. Din tried to remain calm but it was hard, since all of his emotions were sloshing over him. He heard a distant voice. 

"He wakes up!" 

"He's coming back!" 

"Ahsoka…."


	5. Friends?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first meeting after the rescue and the first meeting with a certain Togruta. But Din kind of underestimate his injuries and gets a setback promptly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point I really like to thank everyone, who ready and supports this story. Every Kudo and every comment makes me smile ☺️

Din slowly opened his eyes, but the light almost blinded him. First he had to get used to actually seeing something again but his vision quickly got clearer. But before re realized he was back to reality, pain hit him like a train. His hands balled into fists and he struggled breathing because he still had the tube down his throat. 

It felt like being choked and he started to panic. "Hey, it's okay, it's okay. Calm down you're safe here." Sabine said and tried to prevent him from pulling his tube out. She failed. Din grabbed it and ripped it out of his throat. When it was out, he quickly acknowledged he just made a big mistake. His lung stung with every breath he took and he realized he couldn't even breathe like normal. It felt like his lung couldn't expand to its full volume and through his highly increased breathing rate, his body couldn't get the oxygen he needed. 

Din felt he was getting dizzy but suddenly someone bent over him, pushing both hands on his chest to slow his breathing. "Easy, just breathe slowly. You were badly injured, your lung is damaged" Sabine told him and tried to calm him down. But the news hit Din like a punch in the gut. "W-Where…where am I?“ he asked and looked around, he seemed to be a little disoriented."Calm down and I'll tell you everything you wanna know." Sabine said and felt his breathing becoming slower. 

"That's better, right?" she said and took a seat beside his bed. Din watched her intensely and realized she was wearing mandalorian armor. A quite colourful version of it, matching her short purple hair. Din noticed she didn't wear a helmet either, which he found odd."Okay, first things first. My name is Sabine Wren from Clan Wren. I saved you from drowning while I was tracking down Moff Gideon. It was close, but I am glad you made it. What's your name?" she asked and Din's brain took a moment to assimilate all the new information. 

He looked down, not knowing what to say. But when he looked down on his chest with all the attached wires and bandages, he acknowledged he was in a really bad shape."My name…. It doesn't matter. Just call me Mando, OK? …. Thanks for saving me. Do you know where Gideon is now?" Din promptly replied and pushed himself up although his right shoulder protested violently. “Mando isn't a name. I'm a Mandalorian too, that doesn't count. What are you doing?" Sabine said, puzzled because Din actually tried to get out of his bed. 

The monitors behind him were screaming, when he just sat up and Din peeled the wires from his skin."Hey, wait! You're going to kill yourself. Your vitals are unstable!" Sabine stated and grabbed his arm. "I need to find Gideon" Din growled, but when his feet touched the floor, his knees buckled underneath him. "Shit!" the female mandalorian cussed and used her shoulder to support him. But as soon as Din was standing, his blood pressure dropped suddenly and an intense pressure built inside his chest. He instantly had trouble breathing. 

Sabine struggled to hold him because he felt like dead weight to her. Dizziness took over him and he had to admit that getting up was a huge mistake. "Ahsoka, Sam I could use your help!" Sabine called and seconds later, the young healer darted through the door. He wasn't alone, a female Togruta was hot on his heels. With Sam's help they managed to put Din back on the bed, but as soon as the healer checked his vitals he knew something was wrong. "Shit…." he muttered and opened the drawer beside Din's bed. Din's lips were already tinted blue and his chest was heaving. 

"Now he really has got a problem…" Sam muttered and pulled out a syringe with a long, thick needle. Without hesitation, he stabbed it right into Din's chest. When he pulled up the plunger it was filled with blood. "Looks like he ripped some stitches from his patched up lung. I hope it'll stop itself because I can't perform surgery on him now. He would not survive another one." the healer stated and looked at Sabine. 

"What happened here?" Ahsoka asked and looked at her friend too, crossing her arms over her chest. "Hey, don't blame me. I told him to stay in bed, but he insisted on getting up and finding Gideon." Sabine told her friends. Din was awake, keeping his eyes closed, but he heard every word. Ahsoka bent over him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. We're not going to hurt you. What's your name?“ she asked sensitively and watched him with her big, blue eyes. 

Din had no idea why, but he felt a presence around her, the same he felt around the kid. Something in his gut told him that he could trust her. "Din… My name is Din…Djarin." he gasped, trying to breathe calmly but the pressure inside his chest increased again. Sam shook his head. "Okay, I'm doing this one more time, if it's not working now, he'll get a chest tube to drain the excess blood" he said and stabbed the needle right back into Din's torso. "Djarin…Djarin. Never heard of that clan on Mandalore. But you are Mandalorian, right. And I saw a little green creature traveling with you?“ Sabine asked and tipped her finger thoughtfully on her lips. Din felt his stomach twisting, when he mentioned the child. 

"I was a foundling, I was not born on Mandalore. The kid was my foundling and my clan mate… We were a clan of two. But…." Din swallowed thickly as he told his story and Ahsoka raised her hand. "I'm so sorry, Din. Now I completely understand your situation. But getting him back won't be easy. You need to heal first. You can't save him when you're dead." Ahsoka said and looked at Sabine, who gave her an empathic look. 

"Hey, I'm so sorry to hear that, I didn't know. I've seen Gideon holding him on his ship. He said he will get him to someone called Dr. Pershing. I hope that's a clue where to find him. We'll help you, Din." Sabine said and gave his arm a comforting squeeze. When he heard Pershing's name he felt a little relieved since he tried to defend the kid from an early death when he was in the client's hands. "Blood pressure and breathing back to normal, seems like it takes two women to calm him down." Sam chuckled and got up. "But like I said, if you are doing anything stupid like this again, you'll get the tube." he added and left the room. 

Din was overwhelmed, mostly by tiredness. But somehow, he felt a little more safe now. "What is your son's name?" Ahsoka asked, trying to have a little conversation at least. Din sucked in a breath. "Never gave him a name. We were being hunted since I got him." Din explained. "You need to give him a name as soon as we get him back." Sabine protested "He had such cute, floppy ears."

Ahsoka looked up. "What species is your kid?“ she asked Din, but he shook his head."Don't know, my task is to return him to his people, but I have no idea where his home planet is. I've never seen a little green creature with such big ears and eyes. He can do things with his mind, levitate and heal." the mandalorian explained. "Don't get me wrong, but it sounds like a smaller version of master Yoda." Ahsoka said thoughtfully with a sad undertone. She knew he died a few years ago. 

"Never heard of him, but if he has a fluffy, wrinkled head and three fingered hands, they seemed to be related." Din concluded and rested his head back on the pillow. He felt exhausted and the two females noticed that. "I think you should rest now, it's been a rough day." Ahsoka said and got up. Din felt himself almost drifting off to sleep no matter how hard he tried to stay awake. His body now showed him that he just crossed a line. "Is he alright? I think Sam or Dan should take a look at him." Sabine said and looked at the Togruta. Ahsoka sighed. "Yes, but they only can heal him physically….." she said with a sad voice. 

Sabine understood. In front of her laid a man, who had just lost everything….


	6. While we sleep....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While they sleep, both are safe, both have each other...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this is gonna be some tooth rotting Fluff, but it had to be, lol.

Din slipped back into the comforting realm of unconsciousness although he fought to stay awake. But his body had crossed his limits and needed to rest. But his mind was working restlessly. He needed a plan, he needed a ship, track down Gideon and do anything to get his foundling back. Never before Din had never missed someone as much before and he hoped that he wouldn't be too late to save him. He would never forgive himself if he would. 

Back on Gideon's ship the child's condition worsened and Dr. Pershing was struggling to keep the baby stable. "Damn it, what is this? It's like he just doesn't want to get better." he mumbled as he checked the latest results from the child's medscan. Suddenly the door behind him opened and Moff Gideon entered the room with an unpleasant expression on his face. "What takes so long? When do you get the procedure started?" he growled threatening and stepped closer to the Doctor. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I don't understand, his injuries just don't seem to want to heal. I tried everything but his condition is quite unstable. I can't extract anything from him now or he'll die in a matter of hours!" Pershing explained and covered his face, almost expecting to catch a hit from his boss. Gideon growled under his breath and grabbed the other man's collar and violently pushed him against the wall behind him."I received the last dose of midichlorians a week ago and there's only one left. You better hurry!“ Moff Gideon whispered and Pershing held his breath."Please, give me a few days. I'm gonna fix it, I promise!" the man with the glasses stammered in fear. 

The ISB officer released him and bent over the child, studying the little one closely. He held his hand over the kid, trying to invade his mind. Soon he realized, the kid completely had locked his mind to protect himself, but Gideon now tried more roughly and got a glimpse of what kind of safe place the Kid's mind had fled into. He saw him and the mandalorian. Gideon chuckled. "I knew Din Djarin was his soft spot and his sanctuary, maybe I can work with that and force him to snap out of this state. This is gonna be breaking him." the Moff said and turned to Pershing. "Administer my last dosage and I'll return to him in a few hours, let's see who's mind is stronger…" Gideon ordered and the Doctor obeyed immediately….. 

Din heard someone calling him. Not by his name but he felt his presence was required. And he ran, just following this gut, deep in his heart he knew, who was waiting for him. He was right. Breathing heavily, Din collapsed on his knees a few feet away the kid laid in front of him. Motionless. "No, no, no…" he stammered and reached for him with trembling hands. 

To his relief the kid moved to his touch and opened his sleepy eyes. "You're alive…" Din sobbed and pulled him in a close embrace. Leaning against the wall behind the Din cuddled the kid. But he felt something was wrong. With an exhausted glance the kid looked at him. 'Help me, please…. I can't withstand him much longer.' Din didn't hear that but felt exactly what he wanted to tell him. 

"It's alright, Kid. I'm here, as long as we are sleeping, we're together in this place. No one's gonna hurt you, I promise." Din said and watched the kid folding down his ears and snuggled his head on his chest. The little one felt that Din was safe in the real world and it relieved him to know his foster father was protected by some new friends. The mandalorian took a deep breath, wrapped his arms around him and snuggled his cheek on the Kid's head. "I need you…." he whispered. They remained for a while, but suddenly the kid felt something was tugging on his consciousness. 'It's Gideon…. He's invading my mind… Help me…' the kid tried to tell him but something ripped him out of his embrace…..

"Din, Din wake up! You need to calm down, you're safe here…" the mandalorian heard a distant voice calling him. Panting and trembling he cracked his eyes open, hearing the alarming beeping of his heart monitor. He noticed that someone had put an oxygen mask on him, but he still struggled to catch his breath. Ahsoka was beside him and tried to calm him. "The kid, Gideon…. I can't wait, I need to find him now." Din gasped and Ahsoka noticed that he was completely desperate. She knew, it wasn't just a nightmare he had. 

"I know what you are going through, Din. And I wish I could help you, I know about Gideon's cruel methods, but you aren't well enough to save him. You'd just kill yourself trying it." the former jedi said and gently rubbed his shoulder. Din was still panting and noticed a tear formed in his eye. 

Gideon finally had managed to break the Kid's barrier for a short time, but it was enough to realize that the kid had built a force connection to Din Djarins mind. He cussed and turned away from the kid. "What is it? Did it work?“ Pershing asked cautiously."The mandalorian is still alive…. And he had help." Gideon ranted and turned to his subordinate. "It's her…." he added but something just crossed his mind. "Maybe we can use that connection… Yes, it could work." Moff Gideon mumbled thoughtfully. "I-I don't get it.." Pershing stammered confused. "I'll use the Kid's mind and Din Djarin to get Ahsoka Tano…." Gideon chuckled…..


	7. Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone has got a story to tell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of struggled writing this chapter, but I hope you like it anyway.

“I guess we need to talk, when you rested enough. But for now, sleep. Shall I fetch Sam or Dan to get you something that’s gonna help you fall asleep?” Ashoka said promptly and got up. Din was confused by her seriousness suddenly, she didn’t even look at him. But he felt something in her presence has changed. The dream he had, wasn’t just a dream, he knew that, but he had no idea what it was. It felt, he had some kind of connection to the child, which was interrupted by something. Was it Gideon? What did he do to his foundling? Din’s stomach twisted by the thought something serious could have happened to him.

Ahsoka left the room and the mandalorian felt the heaviness of his thoughts and sorrows crashing down on him. He didn’t cry, over the years he almost forgot how it felt to shed tears, but he felt the pain physically. It was like something heavy laid on his chest and made it hard for him to breathe, but this time, the cause was only mentally. He turned to his side as soon as the lights were out, cautiously not to rip the wires from his chest. It wouldn’t be quite comfortable, but he had to sleep now. His body was on its limits, he felt every nerve inside was under tension. His heart was racing although he was in bed and his pain medication seemed to work properly. 

He closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep. He longed to see his foundling again, but he had no idea how to trigger this bond. Din tried to focus, but no matter what he tried, nothing worked. In the end, he got himself so tired, he genuinely fell asleep. He was dreaming, but this time, it felt like a dream, or more like a nightmare, but not as intense as the dreams he had had before. But this time, he was actually sleeping and Din didn’t wake up until noon the next day. 

“Is he okay, Dan?” Sabine whispered worried as she joined the other healers twin. “Yeah, seems like. His vitals are stable for hours now, although his heart rate and blood pressure is still pretty high. And he’s still struggling with a mild sepsis. But his wounds look good under the circumstances he’s in. So all I can say, that he’s a little better than yesterday and he has a higher chance of full recovery.” he explained and started to change Din’s bandages. 

“How long have I been sleeping?” the mandalorian mumbled with his eyes still closed. He woke up as Dan started to work on him Carefully, the healer peeled the bacta patch from Din’s chest, and the mandalorian got a first look on how large the surgical scar actually was. It looked less than encouraging because the size was way bigger like he had imagined. It reached from the lower left side of his chest up to the middle of his sternum. And in addition he had the exit wound below his right shoulder blade, which fortunately wasn’t as big. “Oh, sorry I didn’t mean to wake you.” Dan muttered apologizing but continued his work. “Good morning, Din Djarin. How are you today?” Sabine asked and stepped closer. “I had better days, but I’ll live…” Din replied and winced under Dan’s touch. “I’m sorry, but I need to clean your wound. It’s a little infected, but nothing to worry about….” the healer said, but Din noticed he was trying to conceal his concern. So he figured, he still wasn’t significantly better than yesterday. 

But suddenly, the mandalorian remembered Ahsokas reaction from yesterday and she wasn’t here either. “Where’s Ahsoka?” Din asked Sabine, who gave him a quick, not intended, worried look. “What is it?” Din asked suspiciously and gave her an intense look. Sabine sighed. “Alright, she wanted to talk to you anyway. Ahsoka came to me after she had visited you and told me about your nightmare. She’s afraid that your visions might let you make some rash decisions. She told me, she was actually feeling your pain and your grief and it kind of broke her. The last time she felt such a strong bond between two individuals was between her and her Master Anakin Skywalker, when she was a young Padawan….” Sabine explained and hoped she didn’t tell him too much. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to tell you all this. I mean, we just met.” the female mandalorian added quickly and Din noticed her discomfort.

“‘It’s alright, Sabine….” Ahsoka’s voice sounded from behind her. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to…..” Sabine stammered in apology but the former Jedi just walked beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry for my reaction yesterday. But Sabine is right. It really dug up some old memories….” she said calmly but with a sad undertone. Din felt a little uncomfortable, all the time he kept his emotions to himself, the child was the only one to whom he was able to show affection, even parental love. But now, there was a woman, who supposedly was able to comprehend how he felt. It terrified him a little, actually how the Togruta kind of caught him off guard in his deepest emotions. “Din, I know that is much to hear for you, but you need to understand what kind of situation you got yourself into. Gideon must never discover this bond between you and your child. He'll destroy you if he finds out. I sensed the connection between you and your foundling and I felt he’s suffering too. I desperately longs to see you again.” Ahsoka explained. 

“You said, you know Gideon?” Din asked while Ahsokas and Sabine’s sad expressions deepened. “Yes, We’ve got to know him on Mandalore. He killed a friend of ours. Bo-Katan. She was the one who carried the Darksaber and she was the last leader of Mandalore. How long haven’t you been on Mandalore?” Sabine explained and crossed her arms over her chest. Din sighed. “I told you I was a foundling. I am Mandalorian by the creed, but it's not the planet where I was born. I haven’t been there for at least twenty years.” Din said. 

“I understand. Well, we’ve been there on that day when Gideon conquered and killed our friend. It was an ambush and we were clearly outnumbered. I remember when I saw her falling. He stabbed her from behind, with his nasty blade. Then he took the Darksaber and escaped. There was nothing we could do back then, I’ve never felt so helpless and powerless in my life. And I swore to myself to take revenge. For Bo-Katan and the people of Mandalore….” the female mandalorian explained and Ahsoka put her hand on her shoulder as she saw her struggling telling her story. 

“But there’s more to it. Gideon not only wants a lightsaber for himself, he wants to control the force too. And I think he’d do anything to reach his goal. I remember the way he looked at me, when we were fighting him. His glance and I felt he would soon be a great threat to anyone in the galaxy. And I’m afraid he is going to use your foundlings midichlorians to make himself be able to use the force too. I once heard a rumor about there’s a way to transfer midichlorians from one to another, but there was never a proof that such kind of tech actually exists. And I’m afraid to say that your child is going to be his first victim.” Ashoka explained thoughtfully and looked at Din, who almost froze in shock. 

“No…. he wasn’t the first one. When Gideon entered the ship I tried to fight him. And he was using his powers on me, I had no chance….” Din whispered and lowered his head, still the bitter taste of defeat was raging inside him. “I’m sorry, but you can count on our help. We’ll get your foundling back, I promise” Sabine said, now more cheerfully and patted Din’s shoulder to encourage him. But he wasn’t as optimistic as her at all. Gideon’s victory over him has left a gaping wound not only on his body but on his mental stability. 

Ahsoka felt his struggle and sat down on his bed. “Hey, your foundling is still fighting, I clearly felt that last night. He’s fighting to get back to you. He had formed a bond between you two just to be with you through the distance. You are his source of power and the love for you makes him able to get through all this. And I feel you also need his presence. You’re a family and you need each other, so we’re going to do anything to get him back.” the former jedi said and took Din’s hand in hers. “I know… thank you…” he replied and took a deep breath. 

“Yes, but he first needs some time to heal, or it’ll be over before you even reach Gideon’s ship.” Sam said as he entered the room. Din looked up and he knew he was right. “I’m sorry, I’ve never got the chance to introduce you two. This is Sam, he and his twin brother Dan saved your life. They’re really skilled healers, actually former medical stuff from the empire.” Sabine said and Din raised his brow. “Yes, but we were forced to work for them. Slaves of the empire. We spent our days patching up Storm Troopers. But we always wanted to join the resistance. Ahsoka and Sabine rescued us from them and we helped them conquer this former imp’s base to make it our home for now.” Sam explained and rubbed his forearm, trying to hide a tattoo he’s gotten from his life as a slave. 

“I’m sorry to hear that, but you did a really good job patching me up. I really appreciate that, I’d be already dead without you and Sabine.” Din said gratefully and suddenly he felt more comfortable around this group of people. He used to work alone most of the time, but now it felt good to have some people’s back. “So I think we’ve got to know each other pretty well and Sam’s right, you really need to focus on healing. So let’s get you some food and we’ll talk later.” Sabine said and got up from her chair. “I second that, you need your strength to recover, so eat something and rest and my brother and I will do anything to treat your wounds and make them heal as fast as possible. Is that a plan?” Sam asked and started to fumble on Din’s IV drip. 

Sabine returned with a large bowl of stew and as Din hadn’t eaten for days, his stomach instantly growled by the delicious smell. He emptied the bowl within ten minutes. In the meantime Sam had modified Din’s medication, which made him a little bit drowsy and groggy. “It’s normal to feel tired, but trust me it’ll help you. It’s better for you to get as much sleep as possible and I’m pretty sure we’ll get some positive results in a few days.” the healer explained and Din rested his head back on the pillow. He was so tired and he hoped to reconnect with the child again. 

The mandalorian closed his eyes and let himself drift off into a deep slumber. First he was disappointed not to get in touch with his foundling but that suddenly changed. He felt his presence again, like he was standing next to him, but he couldn’t see it. “Kid, where are you?” Din called and desperately looked around. But suddenly everything changed as he saw Gideon standing right in front of him, with the child in his hands. Din startled and he readied himself to attack him. “Get your filthy hands off him.” he spat and watched him intensely. Gideon chuckled. “Do you really think you are in the position to negotiate? Your foundling helped me to get in contact with you, this ain’t a dream, Din Djarin. But I’ve seen you made some new friends and I’m highly interested in one of them. So here’s my suggestion, bring me the jedi and I’ll promise to free your child. Get her to me and I’ll never ever bother you again. You have three days and if you tell her, he’ll die by my hand immediately. Think about it, Djarin. Three days…” Gideon said and held the child tighter so he made him squeak. 

“No…. I can… Kid!” Din screamed as he heard the kid screaming. “In the end he was too weak to keep this bond hidden, his biggest fear of not being with you doomed him.” Moff Gideon chuckled and visibly enjoyed seeing the fear in his enemies eyes. “It’s genuinely impressive seeing someone’s emotions after not being able to hide them inside a helmet anymore.” Gidion said and waited for Din’s reaction. But the mandalorian didn’t know what to do as he was unarmed, but regardless, he leaped at his opponent, determined to kill him with his bare hands. Unfortunately in all his rage he forgot about the Moffs force powers and suddenly he noticed the painfully familiar feeling of being choked. 

Din wasn’t able to fight back and collapsed on the ground. “Three days….” Gideon said and disappeared into the darkness. The mandalorian jerked awake, heavily breathing. First he had to realize that his all just happened in his mind, but still he felt tightness around his neck. The monitor beside him was beeping because his heart was racing but he tried to calm down, before anyone couldn notice. Desperately he buried his face in his palms, not knowing what to do now…...


	8. A Warrios's heart

He sat there for a while, staring into the darkness. Never before Din had felt so desperate. He had met someone who was a true nemesis to him. An overpowered, cruel and cunning man, who ripped that part from, which gave him the most comfort and love. Through all the years of bounty hunting he had lost an important part of himself, but the child gave him Bach what he was missing, his humanity and his emotions. The mandalorian felt a slight nausea rising inside his stomach the more his mind was circling. 

"I need some air." he thought to himself and started peeling the attached wires from his chest. He had some red marks on his skin where they had stuck and the monitor beeped by the missing signal. Carefully he swung his legs over the edge, adjusting to the upright position. 

But when he slowly got up his body began protesting and dizziness took over him. He made the first step and struggled to keep himself on his feet since his legs were weakened by the two shot wounds. Slowly he dragged himself around the bed fetching the IV stand and supported himself onto it. But now he realized, he was just wearing his underwear, so he grabbed the blanket from the bed and wrapped it around his shoulders. 

Step by step he made his way out of the hospital room, entering a dimly lit floor. Actually he had no idea where he was going, but he just wanted to move. It caused him pain but still distracted him from his thoughts. He was just 10 minutes on his feet, his heart was already racing and he was short of breath. 

After five more minutes he found an exit leading to a small balcony which was built into the cliffs. The full moon was shining bright, glistening on the pitch black, rough sea underneath him. The waves were slamming against the rocks and Din felt the cold grip on his chest again, the same feeling he had when he almost drowned. Carefully he wrapped his free arm around his torso as he began shivering from cold and exhaustion. 

Slowly he dragged himself to the balcony railing made of stone. Slightly panting he braced himself on it and when he looked down at the black, savagely sea, he felt like he was drowning again. The cold consumed more and more from him so he dropped on his knees, leaning onto the railing. Din tried to catch his breath, the water seemed to trigger some sort of panic attack. Sweat was dripping down his face and his rapid heart beat stung painfully. 

The mandalorian closed his eyes, desperately trying to calm his nerves. He saw the child in front of him. "I have to be strong…. For you…" Din thought and pulled himself up on the IV stand. "I'm gonna find you and I'm gonna save you" he whispered to himself and looked up into the bright full moon. 

"Hey are you okay? What are you out here?“ Din heard a female voice asking him. Surprised, he turned around and looked into Sabine's face."I just needed some fresh air….. And a place to think." Din explained and tried to act as healthy as possible. He knew he just had three days to convince them he was alright. 

"I understand, but I think it's better for you to stay in bed and rest and not roam the base." Sabine said but Din cut her off. "I can't just wait and wait until I'm getting better when my child is somewhere out with some imp, who's trying to kill him." Din spat, almost losing control over his emotions. 

"Din, I understand but we can't just stand there and watch you running into your death. We want to help you, you just need a little more time and we need a plan. Gideon is going to kill you in your current condition….." Sabine mumbled. "Then I shall die trying, I'll never forgive myself if he should die just because I've been waiting for too long!" Din growled determined. Sabine looked at him reverently. "You really have the heart of a mandalorian, even without your helmet, you remain a true warrior. You really gained my deepest respect." Sabine said calmly. 

Din nodded at her. "I'm gonna talk to the twins tomorrow, they should patch you up and make sure you won't collapse in battle. But be sure we are coming with you, Ahsoka and I." Sabine said and put her hand on his shoulder. She felt him trembling. "Alright, we're gonna make a plan tomorrow and I'll be ready the day after." the mandalorian said. "But how are we going to track them?“ Sabine asked. 

"I have an idea…" he replied and remembered what Gideon told him to do. Din didn't know how to solve this problem yet, he barely knew Ahsoka but he really trusted her and every cell in his body told him not to accept Gideon's conditions. But if he had no choice, his decision was easy….


	9. At all costs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Din decides to receive an experimental treatment to be healed as fast as possible.

Sabine walked along with him back to the medical bay, to make sure he finally gets some rest. While they were returning the female mandalorian noticed he was struggling and breathing heavily. Carefully she took his arm and helped him. Din didn't care about it, he was just too tired. 

But his mind was constantly working, he needed to find a way to track the child as soon as possible and he knew a way to do it. When they entered the hospital room he asked "Where's my stuff by the way? My clothes?" "It's inside the cupboard over there, sorry we didn't have the time to clean it." Sabine said, confused by his question. 

She watched him dragging himself to the sideboard and he let out a small gasp when he opened it. In the drawer there laid his beskar armor, covered in numerous stains of blood. Quickly he put it aside, well aware of the fact that he won't be able to wear it anymore. He had lost his helmet, so he broke the creed and beskar armor belongs to a mandalorian, who he no longer considered himself to be. 

The next thing he put out was his cape and flight suit, the last was literally stiff from dried blood. It was torn and no longer wearable. But he was looking for something different and he pulled out his belt, where he had some small pockets attached to it. In one of them he still kept the tracking fob he got when he first tracked down the child. "What are you doing?" Sabine asked and stepped to his side, when she saw the fob she vehemently shook her head. 

"Do you have some tools I can use? I need to repair it." Din asked, ignoring her concern. "You can have your tools as soon as you have a full night of sleep." she said sternly and crossed her arms over her chest. Din looked at her in disbelief . "I told you I don't have time for that. I need to fix this so we can make a plan and probably leave by tomorrow." he growled and his grip tightened around the small device. He felt rage rising within him and every nerve in his body was tensed. 

"What's going on here?“ they heard Sam asking when he suddenly entered the room." He's out of his mind, he wants to track down Gideon preferably by now." Sabine explained and turned to Sam, who hopefully had an idea to talk Din out of it. But the mandalorian struggled to stay calm, he wanted to scream, he wanted to run but his feet felt like being glued to the ground. His heart was throbbing painfully and he felt his knees gradually losing their strength of carrying his weight. 

"Din, we all understand what you're going through and maybe there is a way to make the healing process as short as possible…." Sam said calming while Sabine looked at him in disbelief. "But you need to be at least rested for the procedure. But now, you're a ticking time bomb at the moment…." Sam explained and slowly approached Din, who had to support himself on the shelf to keep himself on his feet. 

But Din's sleep deprived brain was no longer able to actually understand what the healer was saying."No, I need to go… Now." he gasped and tried to take a few steps towards the door. Seconds later the whole room began spinning around and Sam rushed at him to catch him as he collapsed. "You see, you are not in the condition to fight anything" Sabine concluded and helped the healer to put Din back on the bed. “Is he okay?” the female mandalorian asked Sam in concern. 

The young healer grabbed the medscanner and waved it over Din’s prone body. “Well… he’s clearly suffering from sleep deprivation and it affects his healing progress significantly. But in fact, his other injuries are okay. It’s just the lack of sleep that bugs his nervous system, he should be okay if he finally gets some sleep.” Sam said and Sabine let out a relieved sigh. 

“But there’s still the problem, he won’t stay in bed. I think we need to strap him onto it. He doesn’t know what’s good for him at the moment. I mean, I totally understand he wants to find Gideon and his foundling but no he is as strong as a newborn kitten.” she stated and looked at Din, who was still fast asleep. “A hissing, growling, stubborn kitten...But I have something that makes him sleep like a baby for the next few hours. Not like a sedative, but it makes his sleep dreamless and lasting longer, so he can get proper rest. And if I give him a higher dosage, he won’t wake up until tomorrow.”the healer explained and prepared the shot. 

“He’s gonna hate you… But maybe if you make him feel better, who knows?” Sabine said and watched Sam administering the medication into his shoulder. Sabine grabbed the blanket and covered Din with. “Sleep tight, hopefully.” she said and both left the hospital room. Finally Din slept, probably the deepest sleep he had ever had. He had no dreams, no connection to the child or Gideon, nothing. 

Far, far away, the kid fought Gideon to stay out of his mind. He couldn’t reach Din so his worries additionally made his struggling even harder. “Maybe he’s dead? Maybe he has abandoned you? You’ve been quite a burden for him…” Gideon tried to convince the kid to let go of the bond he had formed. He didn’t tell him in words but in emotions, the child was quite sensitive at. ‘No, he loves me, he’s my father!’ the little one tried to fight back, but there was still the gnawing feeling, that Moff Gideon might be right. The ISB officer knew he could break the child’s will that way and with that, he would have uncomplicated access to the kid’s midichlorians. He wouldn’t have to force him then. 

Din woke up the next morning, feeling like a train had hit him. The surroundings first were blurred but they became clearer as soon as his consciousness came back to him. He heard the familiar beeping from his heart monitor and someone had wrapped him cozily in his blanket. Din actually felt nice and warm, not wanting to wake up yet. But suddenly his mind washed over him and he realized, he still was holding the tracking fob in his hands. “What happened?” he wondered and rubbed his eyes. 

But suddenly he noticed, he wasn’t in his room. It was much colder and darker here. He was surrounded by many medical machines and stuff required for surgeries. “Where am I?” he asked and felt panic rising within him. “Calm down, you’re in my operating room.” he heard Sam explaining. The slim man turned to Din, dressed like a surgeon. “You wanted the quickest way to heal. So we give it a shot.” Sam said and prepared some stuff. Din gave him a sceptical look, but he remembered what he intended to do last night. 

“What are you up to? You said, you can’t perform any surgery on me for the next time.” Din asked suspiciously and suddenly Sabine joined them. “Ah good to see you awake. Are you finally yourself again? No maniac, no fool, risking his life?” she joked and looked at Sam. “I’m almost done, I just need the needle” he said and pulled out a very long, very thick needle and put it on the table beside Din. The mandalorians' eyes widened. “Stop, what are you going to do?” he asked and tried to get up but Sabine pushed him down again. 

“I’m going to perform an experimental procedure on you, it’s technically no surgery. You’re not gonna be put under. As you wished to be ready for battle as soon as possible. Dan and I thought of a method that might help you. But since we can’t administer a new anesthesia in such a short period of time, we’ re just gonna give you a local. Sabine is going to be my assistance. The procedure is actually pretty simple, but I can’t promise it’s working….” Sam explained. 

“So it’s working or killing me?” Din asked and looked at his surgeon. “No, not killing but probably quite unpleasant and probably painful. But since you insisted on being healthy as soon as possible, we thought you’re gonna take that risk.'' The healer added and watched Din intensely. 

But Din knew what he might lose if he wouldn’t be able to find Gideon in time. So he agreed. “What are you going to do?” he asked and watched Sam preparing the last few things he would need. “Easily explained, I’m going to treat your internal injuries, like your damaged lung, with some kind of bacta gel. But this medicine can’t be given through IV, it has to be applied directly on the damaged tissue. So I’m gonna use this needle to inject it into your internal injuries. Might be a total of 4 to 5 incisions and Sabine is helping me with the ultrasound, so I won’t get lost inside you. Are you ready?” Sam said and grabbed a smaller syringe. “Wait, where’s Dan, he’s a healer too?” Din asked. “He worked the whole night to plan this ‘surgery’, anyway, I can perform it alone als long as I have an assistant to hold the ultrasound.” Sam explained and readied himself.

But Din just nodded, he just desperately wanted to pull this through, so he would be fully operational soon again. He took a deep breath. “Let’s do this.” Sam nodded, started injecting the local on Din’s chest and disinfected him with rubbing alcohol. It took a few minutes to develop it’s full effect, Sam handed the small ultrasound device to Sabine and told her where to put it. “Alright, are you ready. If you feel uncomfortable or something else feels wrong, please tell me” the surgeon said but Din just nodded and readied himself to be impaled by a quite long needle. 

They began. Sam slowly stabbed the needle in his chest, following the picture from the ultrasound. Din winced, it felt way more unpleasant as he had thought. His skin was numb, but his insides were not. Din’s breathing quickened. “It’s okay, just relax.” Sam said and put his other hand on the mandalorian’s chest, trying to calm him. “I-I just need to get used to it. I-I’m alright.” Din whispered, becoming more and more aware of the had a large needle inside his ribcage now. “Okay, I’m gonna apply the bacta.” Sam said, highly concentrated. 

Din felt something cold inside him and was visibly relieved when the healer pulled the needle out again. The mandalorian took a few deep breaths. “How are you feeling? Is it okay to proceed?” Sabine asked and looked at her friend, who checked Din’s vitals in the meantime. “Heart rate is slightly elevated but still normal. You think we can go on?” Sam asked and the mandalorian nodded silently. 

So they continued after Sabine adjusted the ultrasound. The next two times, Din went through hell, but he tried to hide it because he wanted this. His eyes were scrunched shut and Sam felt every muscle on Din’s chest was tensed from pain. The last time the needle pierced the mandalorians skin eliciated a loud groan from him. “Hold on, you can do this,” Sabine said, her voice was worried. “I’m almost done…” Sam said, now the stress was noticeable in his voice too. 

Din tried to breathe slowly, but he ended up holding his breath, which increased the pain even more. He felt his consciousness was slipping but he fought to stay awake. “Din, hold on… just a few more minutes. You need to stay awake” the healer said and patted his shoulder. Din gritted his teeth and suddenly it was over. Sam pulled the needle out “You did it….” he heard him saying but suddenly he just passed out.


	10. Sounds like a plan.... right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now Din's healing finally made progress. But the plan they made to rescue the child is   
> pretty dangerous, but the kid's running out of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay new chapter, sorry for the wait, I had some kind of a small writers block.

"Is he alright?" Sabine asked worriedly, almost dropping the ultrasound device. Quickly Sam checked his vitals and sighed in relief. "No, he has just passed out. I think the pain and the effects from his sleep deprivation eventually were too much for him to endure. But he'll be fine, let him rest, so the treatment can take it's full effect." the healer explained while he put some of the bacta gel on Din's surgical scar. 

"Okay, I hope it was all worth it. I'm pretty sure he's gonna leave and try to kill Gideon on his own the next time." the female mandalorian said and pulled the blanket up to Din's neck as Sam was finished. “Wait….” Sam said suddenly as he took a look at the monitors. “Is something wrong?” “No, it seems like it’s working already. His heart rate has stabilized, what probably means, his pain got a little easier.” Sam explained and smiled at Sabine. 

“I hope he'll be okay.” she said and helped the healer to push Din’s hospital bed into his room again. A few minutes after, Ahsoka joined them. “Did all go smoothly?” she asked and looked at the unconscious mandalorian. “Yes, I mean he passed out in the end, but in the end the treatment showed first signs of working. Now he should sleep a bit, so it can take it’s full effect. I assume he'll feel much better afterwards.” the healer said and left the two females alone with Din.

“I’ll fetch the tools he’d required last night.” Sabine said and left as well. Now Ahsoka was alone with Din. She studied him, well aware of the fact, that he was willing to do everything to save his foundling. Even risk his life. Some distant memories were calling her. Once she had a friend, for whom, she would have done the same. But in the end she couldn’t save him. So she hoped Din would be able to save his loved one in the end. Now Ahsoka felt that the force bond was not active right now. Suddenly, she heard a low moan from Din. His eyes were scrunched shut and his face showed a slightly pained expression. “Hey, are you okay? Ahsoka asked and stepped closer. 

Din took a deep breath, trying to get used to the tingling sensation inside his chest. He felt the pain got easier and he was able to breathe more calmly. “I’m okay… I think.” he mumbled and tried to push himself up. “Hey, your treatment was just half an hour ago. You should take it slowly.” Ahsoka said, trying to push him back on the bed, but Din shrugged her off. He looked down on his body, his torso was now plastered with bacta patches. 

Suddenly he noticed, he still held the tracking fob in his hands. Sabine entered the room, with a large box of tools in her hand. “Din, you’re awake?” she said puzzled and went to his side. “What happened?” he asked and looked at her. “Well you passed out at the end of the surgery, but Sam said it was due to your lack of sleeping and the pain. Your body was too distressed to handle any more pain. But Sam also said that the treatment is already working and your vitals look way better.” the female mandalorian said and placed the box on his bed. 

“Thank you…” Din mumbled and reached after the box, pulling out a screwdriver. But first he took a look at the damaged tracking fob and thought of a way to fix it as it was in a pretty rough shape. Sabine joined him and looked at the small device. “Do you think you can fix it?” she asked. Din sighed. “I think so. Give me a moment.” he said thoughtfully and pulled out a few more tools and spread them on his blanket. 

Sabine watched him working and she was quite impressed by his skills. Within half an hour, the fob was almost ready again. “I hope it hasn’t lost the track.” Din mumbled with the screwdriver between his lips. But with a few small adjustments, the device started blinking again. Din’s heart made a joyful jump, finally he was a step closer to saving the child. 

“I think I can work with that.” he mumbled and checked the parameters of the tracking fob. All seemed to be correct. “Alright, I’ll fetch the others, so we can make a plan.” Sabine said and left the room. The first time since he was brought here, Din felt a small spark of hope, like a small light at the end of a long, dark tunnel. “Don’t worry, I’ll find you.” he thought to himself, but focused on the child in the hope that he might reach him in their bond.

But since the last time, he couldn’t feel him anymore, like something was blocking the way. It worried the hell out of him, but he still believed the child was still fighting. He just had to. A few minutes later Ahsoka, Sabine and the two healers joined him. “So you fixed the tracking fob? Can you work with it? It just looks like a blinking toy to me.” Sam said and appraised the device in Din’s hand. “I used to work with these things. I’m pretty sure I’ll lead us to Gideons ship. The problem now is, that I need a ship and the equipment to get to him. I’ve lost almost everything, when my ship crashed and the last few items when I was drowning. So I hope you can provide me with some weapons and give me a ride.” Din explained and looked into the others faces.

“Hey, we’re in this together. We want to kill Gideon and get the darksaber back and you want your foundling back. We’re all coming with you.” Sabine said and patted him on his shoulder. Din knew, he had no choice. But he still struggled with Gideon’s suggestion. It could be easy to get the child back, he just had to turn in Ahsoka. But his stomach made a painful twist by the thought to betray a comrade. 

“We have a ship, but how are we supposed to get on Gideon’s unnoticed?” Ahsoka thought loudly but Din had an idea. “Sabine, you turn me in. Tell him you’ve captured me. I know, he knows I’m alive. There are numerous fobs on me too.” Din explained but Ahsoka sighed worried. “But Gideon knows her, he’ll think of a trap. And Gideon wants to capture me too, I saw it in his glance the last time I’ve met him.” Ahsoka said and rubbed her temples. 

“Maybe, but perhaps this is also our ticket to his ship. We have the advantage of surprise, we have Sam and Dan and I’m pretty sure he assumes that I’m still badly hurt and not in the condition to fight. We have to try it, it’s the only way.” the mandalorian explained but the further he planned this mission the more he became aware of the danger they were heading to. But he knew, he had no choice, he had to rescue the child at all costs. 

“Okay, it’s completely insane but we have to try it.” Sabine said cheerfully and raised her fist. “But Din, you still need to be careful. You may feel better now, but you should give your body another few hours of rest, before you spring into battle again. Please take your time and don’t overdo it now. Just a few hours, you’ll be way better by tomorrow.” Sam interrupted and looked at his patient, preparing for another rant. But Din just sighed. “I know, I was stupid to think to be on track right after a major injury. Okay, I promise you to rest and we’re gonna leave by tomorrow morning.” the mandalorian muttered and lowered his head. It hurt to admit, but the healer was right. He had to make sure he was physically capable of rescuing the child and fighting Moff Gideon. 

“Alright, Sam and Dan, you get the ship ready. Ahsoka and I prepare the weapons and everything else. Din, you rest and recover.” Sabine determined and they spread out. When they were gone, he took another look at the tracking fob, which was still blinking. He watched it intensely. Was this the right way? He started to doubt this plan. Never before he went into battle almost unprepared. Would he betray Ahsoka if he had to? The child was everything to him. He would give his life to make sure the little one was safe. 

With a sigh, he leaned back on the pillow, closing his eyes. He felt sleepiness sweeping over him. He rolled to his side, still clutching the fob. It felt it was the only connection to the child now. Thoughts and doubts were circling in his mind, preventing him from sleeping again. But in the end, the darkness tugged him in and he finally fell into deep slumber. He didn’t notice the others were preparing stuff around him. It was night, when silence came into the base. The others went to sleep as well after everything was prepared. 

But in the early morning hours Din’s sleep became uneasy. He was dreaming, running down a dimly lit hallway. Someone was calling him. Suddenly he felt the connection to the child again, but it felt much more distant. Before it felt like he would be standing right beside him. But this time it was just a shadow, he was chasing. “Kid?” he asked and kept running until he was out of breath. Suddenly he felt like something was entering his mind. He held hís head and dropped to his knees. 

Unexpectedly he saw pictures in his mind, like he would see with someone else's eyes. “Get him hooked up. The bond is almost broken and the child’s condition improved. We can’t wait any longer.” he heard Gideon saying. Din saw Dr. Pershing was bending over him, while he was trying to fight him off. Desperation grasped his heart. “Don’t fight it, little one. You’ll only make things worse, just let it happen. I tried to protect you, but now I have no choice.” the Doctor mumbled and suddenly, Din felt a needle being thrust into his arm. Followed by many more. 

The pain was getting unbearable but he kept fighting. “Shh, I know it hurts. But you have to get used to it. It’s not my fault, I’m sorry….” Pershing's voice grew distant as he started the machines around him. Din watched as a tube drained blood from his body, leading into one of those devices. He screamed, but suddenly, Din found himself standing beside the table he was lying on a second ago. Now he saw the child lying there, enduring the worst pain of his life. 

“No, let him go!” Din yelled and tried to grab the child, but his hand just went right through him. He was only a visitor in the kid’s mind now. He could do nothing but watch and it broke his heart, seeing his foundling like this. Din knew he fought to the very end, but regardless Gideon had managed to break the child's barrier. Suddenly he saw the kid open his eyes and looked right at him. Desperation was written all over his face, his little hands reached in Din’s direction. He heard him cooing at him but he couldn’t reach him either. Everything started to become dark around him.

‘Please save me….. Dad, I need you….’

Din jerked awake from his sleep, his body was shivering. Beads of sweat rolled down his neck and he was panting. Still the image of the child reaching at him floated in front of him. He felt his eyes were suspiciously wet and as he blinked a tear fell down on his chest. Quickly he got up and went to the window, where dawn already glistened on the horizon. Suddenly Sabine rushed through the door. “Are you alright? I heard you screaming?” she asked but when she looked at Din, she understood. “We need to go. Now! Gideon just did it. He’s running out of time….” Din mumbled and never before he felt more ready for a battle.


	11. The Clock is ticking....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now things getting seriously. Din and the others are trying to find Gideon's ship. But the Kid's running out of time.

"Alright, I'm gonna wake the others. Here I cleaned your clothes, well at least I tried. Your blood is really hard to remove, but you can't fight Gideon in your underwear." the female mandalorian said and reached him the bundle she was holding. "Probably not, thank you…" Din mumbled and tried to give her an encouraging smile, when he noticed a hint of tension in her expression. 

Sabine nodded and left him alone. Din sighed and suddenly realized that he was feeling much better, almost like he had never been injured and he was so grateful that Sam was so determined to help him heal as quickly as possible. Mando went to the bathroom to get a shower and get changed. But before he closed his flight suit he peeled off the numerous bacta patches from his chest. 

Fortunately, his wounds had healed pretty well and were no longer hurting him. His insides still felt a little bit sore and his lung stung sometimes when he took a deep breath. But it had to be enough for now. When Din was finished getting dressed he returned to his bed where he found a small assortment of weapons. Almost instinctively he reached for a blaster, quite a similar one he used to have. 

When his fingers closed around the grip, he felt alive again. "Din?“ a voice called him and he turned around. Ahsoka was standing behind him, holding two hilts in her hand and offered Din one of them. Puzzled, Mando took a look at it and he became slightly aware of what kind of weapon she was holding in her hand. 

"Ahsoka,..... I can't take this from you." Din stammered but the Togruta shook her head. I want you to fight with me, Din Djarin. You can't defeat Gideon with only a blaster. I can't fight him alone but together we can do it." she said and Mando gave her a grateful nod, but also he felt a knot tying in his stomach by the thought he might consider bringing her in. But he quickly shook it off for now. 

Actually he was quite impressed by this weapon and he felt its power when he switched it on. Bright blue light erupted in front of him and suddenly he felt a sting in his chest, like his scars remembered the pain which was brought by the familiar hum. But on the other hand, he never felt so strong and inevitable before. 

Ahsoka showed him some basics with the sword but Din quickly realized that he had almost like a hidden talent wielding this weapon. Since he was old enough, he always used blasters or rifles as his main weapons but now he found something he really owned. "Have you ever held a lightsaber? You really should consider getting one, looks like you grew up wielding such a weapon." Ahsoka acknowledged, quite impressed by his skills. 

Din’s grip around the hilt tightened and he felt more than ready for battle. Now he felt he was equally strong to Gideon’s darksaber. He had to do this, there was no other option. “Alright, let’s go..” he said, powered the weapon down and attached it to his belt. “We’re ready to go.” Sam said as he walked through the door along with his twin brother. Ahsoka nodded at the mandalorian and the group made their way to the hangar of the base. Din was quite surprised by the model of the ship. It looked like the Razor Crest, but a newer version of it. He felt a slight sting in his stomach, his ship had been with him for almost 20 years and when they’d crashed, it felt like losing an old friend. 

He was the last one to enter the ship, he was too drawn into his memories. “Are you alright?” Ahsoka asked as she watched him. Her voice ripped him from his thoughts. “Yes, I just… Nevermind.” he mumbled and joined the others. Even the insides looked like his old ship and it felt so bitter to be here. But he knew he had to focus now and suppress his emotions. Dan and Sam were preparing in the cockpit as they were to fly it. Din joined them and gave them the coordinates he took from the fob. Gideon’s ship wasn’t moving at the moment, so it would be easy to find it. Or did he want to be found? Din thought of that constantly and started considering, this whole mission would end in a total disaster. 

His paranoia sometimes was an issue but sometimes it was very helpful to avoid some unnecessary situations before. But for now, he had to ignore it and just trust the plan they had made. The ship started and soon they entered the deep space. Watching the swirls of light passing them, when they entered hyperspace was always calming Din. But not this time. Almost glued at his Co Pilot seat he watched Dan and Sam flying this ship. They were very good pilots, working hand in hand. Now the mandalorian understood how they were able to fix him so well. 

“Alright, we should arrive in two hours. I think we should try to relax and gather our strengths. Din I’d like to take another scan of you, just to make sure everything’s alright.” Sam said and pulled a medscan out of his pocket. “You are prepared for anything anytime, aren’t you?” Din chuckled and watched the young healer, while he waved the scanner over his body. “Looks good so far, some minor issues on your lungs are still there, but that shouldn't bother you as long as you aren’t trying to run a marathon.” he said as he checked the results. “I’m not intending to run anywhere.” Mando replied and got up from his seat to join the girls down in the cargo section.

Two hours, that’s all he’s got now to prepare himself, mentally. Quite often he was forced to improvise as he was just thrust into a fight. But now, he had to make sure everything was working properly. Ahsoka and Sabine were both sitting in silence, looking to the metal floor, also preparing mentally. But Din couldn’t sit still, he was pacing back and forth. Sabine got up and blocked his way.

“Din, calm down. It’s going to be alright. I can hear you thinking from over here.” she said and grabbed his forearms. “We can do it, this is the way” she added and looked determinedly into his eyes. Mando just nodded back and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. He remained there for a while, just staring at the ground until he noticed, the familiar sounds of the flying ship grew distant. He heard a voice, but couldn’t determine where it was coming from. 

Trying not to scare the others he just looked around unobtrusively. “No you can’t do that…. His body will not tolerate this….. You are going to kill him….” the distant voice was begging. Din felt his heartbeat quicken.“I don’t care, he’ll bring her, he has to if he wants to save his child. He’ll bring me the jedi. And with her…. I’m going to have a new source, if the kid dies.” “But you can’t turn up the rate of extraction, you can’t…. It’ll hurt him…. He won’t survive that. 

“You have time till the end of the day to give me the amount I demand.”

“But he’ll die”

“That’s no longer my concern” 

Din gasped and felt his chest tighten. Everything around him seemed to vanish under a foggy mist. Suddenly he felt something touching his leg. When he looked down, he noticed the kid was standing there watching him. 

‘I have to break this bond now. Gideon will try to invade you mind too’ 

“No kid, don’t do that. I’m coming to save you. You have to hold on. Just a little while and I’ll be there, I promise!” Din stammered as he slipped down on the wall. 

‘No, he’ll try to hurt you. I just want you to know… I love you, dad…’

Din watched the kid, snuggling on his leg and abruptly letting go.

‘I have to go now….’

“No, kid! Stay with me!” Din screamed and suddenly the mists cleared around him.

“Sam, I need your help!” he heard Sabine screaming. 

“What happened?”

“I don’t know, he just collapsed, screaming” 

“Let me take a look. Din? Din can you hear me?”

He heard him but he couldn’t reply.

“He was okay an hour before, I took a medscan.” 

“Something happened to his child. I feel it.” Ashoka said and bent over him. “Din, wake up.” she said and put her hand on his shoulder. Now he realized, he was leaning against the cold metal wall behind him. Slowly his mind became more clear. When he opened his eyes, he instinctively searched for the kid. But he knew, he wasn’t there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger 😅


	12. Eye for an Eye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, I was stuck with another story I randomly came up with and I was busy playing Among Us.  
> Anyway, here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy :D

“Din, it’s alright, calm down” Ahsoka said and rubbed his shoulder as he finally came back to reality. He was panting and he felt like he’d just had the worst nightmare in his life. 

“The kid, he broke the bond.” Din stammered, still feeling the touch from his foundling on his leg. “What? But why, is he dying?” Ahsoka asked and held him for a moment. “No, not yet. But he’ll be… By the end of the day.” Mando gasped, trying to catch his breath. “He’ll be saved by then. I promise.” the female Togruta said and hugged him tightly. Din’s mind felt like it had been crushed. He couldn’t think clearly, he realized Ahsoka was hugging him but he didn’t feel it. Now he really was afraid, afraid of what Gideon might had done to his child. Would they just find the baby's corpse? Or would he be too weak to survive and die in his arms?

The mandalorian couldn’t think clearly, fear was suddenly consuming him. He noticed, the other ones gave him worried glances and he wished to be alone. He always has been alone, he never had to hide his feelings, because he used to wear a helmet. This situation was so alien to him now. And he felt embarrassed. 

He felt Ahsoka was rubbing her palm between his shoulder blades to calm him and after a few deep breaths, his mind became clear again. “Hey, are you okay?” the former Jedi asked and put her hand on his shoulder. Din remained silent, looking at his boots. “Hey, you need to talk about it. You need a clear head, when we enter Gideon’s ship.” she added and looked deep into his eyes. But he broke the glance and got up. He lost his balance for a second and was caught by Sabine. “Whoa, easy. Sit down and have some water.” she said and reached him a glass.

“Thank you.” he mumbled and rubbed his eyes. Suddenly a voice called them from the cockpit. “Where almost there, get ready.” Sam said and Din’s stomach dropped. He wasn’t ready. Soon they noticed, the ship has been caught in some sort of tractor beam. “Dan, Sam take cover. He mustn’t know, you two are our backup.” Sabine called and the twins slid down on the ladder. Din helped the others opening a secret hatch on the floor, where both brothers jammed inside to hide. 

Soon the ship hovered into the Star Destroyer’s hangar and they prepared for a whole army of StormTroopers. And there were plenty of them. Din pressed himself against the wall, while the ramp had been lowered. Soon the ship’s cargo section was filled with red blaster fire. The mandalorian knocked them out one by one, while Ahsoka slashed her way through the army of enemies. After a while, they have knocked everyone down. “Coast is clear, we’re going to search for the kid now.” Ahsoka told the twins via comms and the group made their way to roam the StarDestroyer. 

“Where do we start? This place is a maze.” Sabine said and looked around. “It’s not like there’s a signpost around here.” “Sam, Dan you guys worked at a Star Destroyer. Do you have any idea where they could keep the kid?” Ahsoka asked and got an answer promptly. “I’m pretty sure, they keep him in the laboratory section. It’s on the lower levels.” Dan said. “Copy that, over and out.” Ahsoka said and waved at the others. 

It felt like they would be running those hallways for ages, before they turned around another corner, Din suddenly stopped and gave the others a silent call to stay behind him. “I’m gonna take him with me. They are roaming around here, the Moff has to make sure the asset stays where it belongs until the other source arrives.” they heard a man speaking, followed by the shaky voice, which sounded familiar to Din. The other man left and stepped into an elevator, so the group missed him. 

Hissing, Din turned around and opened the opposite door, to find Dr. Pershing trembling in front of him. Mando aimed his blaster at the slim man, who covered his face in fear. “Please, he’s not here anymore. The Moff wanted to see him.” the Doctor stammered but Din just grabbed his shirt and pulled him up. “I swear, if I won’t get my child back, safe and sound, you’re gonna pay for that.” he hissed and made the other man gasp. “I tried to protect him, he was hurt. I tended his wounds to make him ready for the extraction. But Moff Gideon ordered it to start before he was completely healed. I had no choice, he is alive, barely.” Pershing stammered and prepared for a shot or something. Din considered killing him instantly, but then his plans changed. 

“You’re coming with us and show us where Gideon is keeping him. And don’t try to fool us, or you’ll get to know my blaster.” Din said and pushed him against the door. “The man who fetched him was going to the bridge to give him to Gideon. He knows you are coming. You have to be careful. If you promise to protect me, I’ll help you rescue him. I’m sick of working for the Moff.” Dr. Pershing mumbled a little more confident. Din sighed and looked at the others because he was not the only one to decide. 

Ahsoka and Sabine gave him an affirmative nod so he agreed. “You go ahead.” Din snorted and pushed him into the hallway. But to everyone's surprise, Pershing kept his word. Quickly he led them through some secret ways, so they didn’t encounter any Storm Troopers. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at a massive steel door. “He should be in here…” the doctor stammered and unwittingly backed up behind Din, who looked at him and saw pure fear in his glass framed eyes. 

Sabine and Ahsoka watched Mando as he hesitated. Was this a trap, or could he trust the doctor? He was the only enemy, who actually cared about the kid. He didn’t want to hurt him on purpose, Din did not forget about that. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. For the last time, he checked his weapons, keeping Ahsoka’s lightsaber savely hidden behind his cape. With shaking hands, Din pushed the button and opened the room. 

In front of a huge window, there stood Moff Gideon, glancing at them in the reflection. Slowly, he turned around with a small bundle in his arms. Din suddenly felt the urge to leap at him and rip the child from his arm, but he knew that would be his death sentence. “Welcome, to my humble ship. I’m well aware of the purpose of your visit. But I’m pretty sure, some of you don’t know every detail, am I right, Din Djarin?” Gideon chuckled and tightened his grip around the kid. 

Din didn’t realize what he was saying at first, since he was focused on the small bundle in the other man’s hand. He wasn’t moving, not a single reaction. Din couldn’t feel his presence, it could be a doll right in front of him. “Din, what does he mean?” Ahsoka asked and grabbed Mandos arm, ripping him from his thoughts. “You didn’t tell them, good choice, Djarin.” the Moff said and chuckled at the sight of their puzzled faces. 

Din didn’t reply, he thought of a plan to keep Ahsoka out of his plans. Before he could tell the others, Moff Gideon cut his word. “I offered him to bring me Ahsoka Tano in exchange for the child. She’s an even more reliable and powerful source of midichlorians than the little badger here. Or how do you explain, getting here so easily? You can take my scientist as a hostage, I don’t care.” he explained, Sabine and the Togruta turned to Din.

“Din is that true, was this all a trap?” Ahsoka asked aghast and came closer to Mando, who just kept his glance fixed on the child. Actually he didn’t care what the Moff was telling the others, he vehemently tried to reach the kid’s mind. “Din, tell me the truth, did you want me to turn me in?” she asked and grabbed Din’s arm. But in that moment, she touched him, he felt a bolt of energy rushing through him. A familiar feeling. Like someone held his protective palm over him. “Kid?” he thought.

Sabine drew her blaster and aimed at the mandalorian. “I can’t believe you wanted to betray us.” she said, slightly sobbing. She had trusted him, because she thought as a mandalorian warrior he would be an honest and trustworthy man. With a tab on her vambrace, she sent a signal to the twins to join them. Lowering his head, Din stepped behind Ahsoka and suddenly grabbed her, holding her lightsaber at her throat. No one could see that happen and everyone’s face froze in shock. 

“You don’t dare killing her, or I’m going to kill the child right in front of your eyes.” the Moff hissed and Din realized he had hit a soft spot, because he knew how important Ahsoka was to him. Ahsoka tried to break free from him and put her hand on the hilt of her lightsaber, ready to kill Din if she needed to. But suddenly, she heard a whispered ‘don’t’ so she lowered her arm again. 

“Who's in charge now?” Din hissed and kept the lightsaber closer to her throat. Gideon started laughing. “You think you can challenge me? I am capable of using the force and I can make you beg for death in no time.” he threatened and reached his hand after Din, making a fist. Suddenly, Din felt the familiar grip of force choking on his neck, but before he let go of Ahsoka he called “Now!” 

Gideon yelled and released the child from his grip because the little one almost bit his finger off. Before he hit the ground, Ahsoka used her own powers to buffer his fall. “Ashoka, Sabine get him!” Din screamed and nodded at Ahsoka, who also ignited her lightsaber. Both fighters leaped at him. Moff Gideon was clearly outnumbered now, but Din and Ahsoka struggled to fight him. Sabine rushed and pulled the kid to safety while her friends fought the bad guy. Din and the Togruta tried to attack him, but he seemed to block every strike. “You underestimate my powers.” Gideon hissed and thrusted Din against the metal wall behind him. The mandalorian groaned loudly as his still fragile torso hit the cold floor. 

“Din!” Ahsoka screamed and tried to get to him but Gideon blocked her way. In the meantime, Dan and Sam arrived and watched their friends fighting. “Sabine!” Sam called and she turned to them. Quickly, she handed the child over, who desperately tried to get a glance at his father. He was still very weak, the last reconnection drained much of his left energy. But with the two healers, he was in safe hands now. 

Sabine joined the fight and fired at Gideon, who was circling with Ahsoka. Din gasped as he regained consciousness again, the blast had knocked him out for a moment. But as soon he was back on the track again, he ignited his sword to assist Ahsoka. Now, Gideon had to fight three warriors and even he was running out of ideas now. “Give up Gideon. You killed our friend Bo-Katan, you stole the Darksaber, you hurt a mandalorian to kill his foundling. There is no more disgrace. Any last words?” Sabine growled and took aim. Din and Ahsoka pointed the tips of their sabers at him. He knew he was defeated, but maybe he could take one of them with him to the grave. 

A quick move at his holster, he drew his blaster and fired at Ahsoka. She just stood there, frozen in shock as she realized the shot was destined for her. But suddenly, she felt someone thrusted her aside. Din just acted on instincts, not thinking about the consequences. He just felt an intense pain hitting his chest, he was stumbling backwards. “Nooo!!!” was the last thing he heard and his last glance laid on the child, who was watching him with. But then, his consciousness left him and Din Djarin was dead before his body hit the ground.


	13. Reunited

Gideon let out an evil laugh. "I told you, you'd die by my own hands, Djarin!“ he chuckled and ignited the Darksaber. “You’re a monster!” Sabine screamed and fired at him, but he just wielded it off. Ahsoka stood there, frozen in shock as she realized the shot was destined for her and her glance remained sticking to the mandalorians lifeless body. 

Anger filled her heart and with her force power she fetched the second saber, she’d borrowed Din. Sam and Dan were also frozen in shock for a moment, but the kid managed to wiggle out of Dan’s grip and fell to the ground. As fast as his little legs were able to carry him, he rushed towards Din’s body. Suddenly, Ahsoka slammed on the ground, right in front of him, blocking his way. 

Gideon had hurt her arm with the Darksaber, groaning and grasping her injury, she got up again and leaped back at the imperial. The kid realized he had to help now, he knew, Din wouldn’t be safe as long as Moff Gideon lived. The child raised his arms and focused his powers on the bad guy. Slowly he formed a fist, now strangulating him, like he used to do. Sabine and the former Jedi were confused as Gideon grabbed his throat. Ahsoka's jaw dropped as she realized what the kid was doing but Sabine didn’t hesitate and finished Moff Gideon off with a clean shot between his eyes.

The man’s body went limp and collapsed to the ground, still with a complacent smile on his face. The darksaber fell to the ground with him.The child took a deep breath to recover and quickly rushed at Din, but Ahsoka picked him up, trying to shield the kid’s eyes from his father’s dead body. She thought this was too horrible for a child’s eyes. “I’m so sorry little one….” she cried.

The female mandalorian breathed heavily but lowered her blaster quickly and rushed at Din’s lifeless body. Both healers were already kneeling beside him, trying to figure out what to do in this situation.. The tension in the room was thick and almost visible now, like the pool of blood, which already had formed around Mando. With shaky hands, Sam opened Din’s flight suit. The fabric was already soaked in blood. But when the healer saw the full extent of his injury he knew the mandalorian was lost.

Gideon’s shot had gone right through his heart and the hole in his chest was oozing blood in generous amounts. “No, no, no. You’re not going to die here…” Sam mumbled and looked at his twin, who positioned himself at Din’s head, his fingers desperately searching for a pulse. But he just slowly shook his head. Although Sam knew, it was unlikely to save him, he started performing chest compressions. “Come on, you can do it.” he mumbled, while he was counting under his breath. The more he pressed down on Din’s chest, the more blood leaked from his body. Sabine and Ahsoka watched them, both trying to comfort each other. The Togruta had wrapped her arms around the child, who was constantly trying to wiggle himself out. 

Sabine had tears in her eyes because another mandalorian fell through the hand of the empire. Ahsoka also felt the weight of Din’s death on her shoulders,after all the shot was destined for her. Actually she barely knew the mandalorian and he just sacrificed himself for her, because he felt guilty for almost betraying her. But she never thought, he would have brought her in anyway. From the beginning she felt he was an honest man and in the end, she was right. 

Sam was panting, his hands were slick from Din’s blood, which already covered the most of his torso. Still, Dan was searching for a pulse between the breaks of giving him breaths. But there was not a single heartbeat and Din’s skin turned more and more pale and cold. “Sam, stop. It’s over…” the healer said and dropped his hands on his knees. His brother sighed but he knew he was right. Suddenly, the child let out a desperate scream and finally broke free from Ahsoka's grip. As fast as his short legs carried him, he ran to his foster dad’s body. But the more he approached, the more he sensed the presence of death. 

Two shaky, three fingered hands touched Din’s stomach, but he instantly felt there was no life inside him. He felt like being drawn back into the dream he had the first time, he built the force bond to the mandalorian. Back then, he was dead too and he was not able to revive him. The child felt helpless, everything around him was pushed out of focus. The voices around them grew distant. It was just him and Din now. 

The child felt tears were forming in his big eyes and instantly streaming down his chubby cheeks. The pain he felt now, was the most intensive feeling he had ever felt until now. It was like someone had torn out all of his emotions and only left grief and pain. Even Ahsoka felt the intensity of the child's grief. It felt like the force itself was mourning with him and everyone’s heart broke for the little fellow. They watched him, climbing up his father’s body, slowly crawling on top of his still chest. Blood soaked his brown robe as he knelt down. 

Sam went to pick him up, but Ahsoka stopped him. “Let him say goodbye.” she whispered and pulled him back at his sleeve. The whole group watched the kid lowering his head and ears in sadness, tears fell freely onto Din’s skin. He took a deep breath and placed his small hands in the middle of the mandalorian’s chest, feeling the warm, crimson liquid coating them. The kid knew, he had to do it now, he must succeed or his father’s death would be certain. 

The baby closed his eyes, gathering all of his remaining powers and projecting them on Din. At first, the task seemed to be impossible to manage, but the more he tried, the more he felt, it was working. The kid’s body began trembling as he put all of his strength in his force healing process. Gradually, he felt the wound underneath closing. He pushed himself way beyond his limits but he couldn’t stop now. But then, when he almost was about to lose consciousness, he felt a weak heartbeat below his hands. 

Ahsoka felt the kid’s consciousness slipping and rushed at them. Suddenly she noticed, Din drew in a weak breath. “I can’t believe it…” she mumbled and turned to Sam, who joined her quickly. Pushing his fingers on Din’s neck made him gasp. “He brought him back!” the healer realized and looked at the former jedi. Both turned to the rest of the group, faces turned from sadness into joy. 

“Din, can you hear me?” Sam asked and shook him carefully. It took a moment, but the mandalorian eventually opened his eyes. Gradually, he felt his senses were returning to him, the blurred silhouettes became more and more clear. Suddenly, he felt a small weight drop on his chest. The child collapsed on him, panting heavily but with a smile on his face. 

Din groaned and reached for the small body on his chest. The kid was still breathing heavily, but leaned into his touch. He couldn’t believe it was finally over, both were alive and reunited again, never before, the mandalorian had felt more joy. Din felt tears forming in his eyes, carefully, he wrapped his arms around the small form and held him close to his heart.


	14. Aftermath

Gradually, Din heard the voices around him more and more clear, he hadn’t noticed them until now. Right now, it was just him and the child. “Din, can you hear me?” Sam asked and gently shook him. He didn’t say something at first, but he just gave a weak nod. “How is that possible? I mean, the shot literally just had left a hole where his heart was supposed to be and now it’s healed?” Dan stated in disbelief. “Well, there’s more to the little guy that meets the eye.” Ahsoka said and approached them with a smile on her face. “Regardless, he had lost a lot of blood. He may be alive again but he’s clearly gonna need a transfusion. I’m going back to the ship and look at what we’ve got there.” Sam said and turned around to leave, but Sabine stopped him.

“Sam, wait, you don’t need to get back to our small ship. I mean, we’d just conquered a Star Destroyer, ain’t that a significant improvement?” Sabine asked with a smirk and the group looked at her. “You mean, we should keep this big baby? Are you sure about this?” Ahsoka said concerned but Sabine just nodded at her. “I need to get back home anyways, so why don't we just take this ride, I can call in a group of mandalorians to operate this thing, once we’ve arrived on Mandalore. I have some business to take care of there…” she looked down at the Darksaber in her hand. “And I’m pretty sure the Med Bay on this ship is way more better equipped than our base. I think Din and the child clearly need some medical care now.” she added and her expression turned into worry when she looked at the duo on the floor. 

“Guess you’re right then. Ahsoka, I need you on the bridge to figure out how to fly this thing. And then we will head straight home.” the female mandalorian said but she was interrupted. “I can help you, I can show you around.” Dr. Pershing stammered and raised his finger. Sabine and Ahsoka looked at each other. “Well, you’ve proven that you are not one of the bad guys, so yes. Come with us.” the former Jedi said and elicited a smile on the Doctors face. 

“Alright and we take care of our patient. Din are you with us?” Dan asked and bent over the mandalorian, who finally opened his eyes. “Y-Yes…” he whispered and watched the twins exchanging worried glances. “Alright, let’s get you and the kid to the med bay, I’m going to look for a gurney, be right back.” Dan said and left the room. “Hey, you gave us quite a scare. Your child's abilities are incredible. You know, you were dead for a moment, don’t you?” Sam asked, trying to check Din’s memory. “Yes, I am aware of that. He’s so precious.” Din mumbled and rubbed the sleeping child’s back. “Yes, he is.” Sam confirmed and took the baby from Din to take a look at him. “He doesn’t seem to be physically hurt, that’s good.” the healer stated and rocked the kid in his arms. “No, what he did does not hurt your body but it drains you life energy.” Din explained but in that moment, Dan returned with a gurney. “Alright, let’s get you out of here.” he said and helped Din getting up. The mandalorian instantly felt dizzy when he was back on his feet. “That’s normal after losing such a large amount of blood” Dan stated and covered the mandalorian with a blanket. 

They arrived in Med Bay after a few minutes, realizing they were alone. “Looks like everybody left, after Gideon’s death.” Sam said and looked around. “Well, more space to work for us” Dan stated and both lifted Din on a bed. “Alright, let’s see what we can do to compensate for your blood loss.” the healer thought loudly. Both left Din’s side to prepare medication for him. Since they used to work for the Empire, they knew where to find the supplies they'd need. After a few minutes, the IV line was set, pumping new plasma into Din’s veins. 

“You’re gonna feel better after approximately 30 minutes, but your child. It’s physically healthy, but he is still weak and exhausted. He needs to rest, I'm afraid I can't do anything for him right now.” Sam said and put him on Din’s belly, but Mando noticed the concerned tone in his voice. The mandalorian nodded confirmingly. Actually, he felt how weak his little boy was and he was getting concerned if he did not just push himself too far. “Please, don’t leave me, I need you.” Mando whispered, while he fondled the kids limp ears. But he still felt, he was with him mentally, that was the only thing that kept him sane right now. 

After the IV was his system, Din felt a little stronger. “Hey, we found a small private sleeping compartment, where you and the child can rest. I figured you wont stay around this medical facility for sleeping.” Sam said and led them into a probably officers private suite. It was quite big, almost like an apartment with a bedroom and a bathroom. “Thank you..” Din said and walked inside. “Call us if you need something. And most importantly… rest.” Sam and Dan left the duo alone. There was a quite big bed in front of a large window facade. 

Carefully, Din placed the baby on the bed and covered him with a blanket. But he first had to clean up before he joined him to sleep. After he made sure the little one was comfortable, he walked into the huge bathroom. It had a quite exquisite furnishing and clearly belonged to some former officer. The mandalorian stepped in front of a big mirror. Never before he had seen himself looking so pale and exhausted.

Din never would have thought, he would get through this alive. His child saved his life, once again. But on the other hand death was peaceful, it was easy, there was no pain, no sorrow and he could have accepted it because he knew he did the right thing.

He died protecting a friend and he was willing to die for his foundling as well. But now, Mando was glad and relieved that their journey wasn't over yet. Now he had the chance to be the father the child deserved. As fast as his sore muscles allowed he began undressing himself, to clean up. His flight suit was stiff from dry blood. 

When he looked in the mirror again, Din realized his whole torso was covered in blood, some of it dry but some was still sticky. It looked like someone just had poured a bucket of red vital fluid on him and he became aware of how much he'd actually lost. Din filled the sink with warm water and started to scrub it off. 

Soon the water was deep red and he finally saw his skin tone again. The area where he had been shot was still red so he scrubbed harder. Din noticed he now had a scar on his chest and the more he cleaned it the more he figured out it had the shape of the Kid's hand, which laid almost guarding right above his heart. 

Carefully he touched it and ran his fingers around the edges. It felt like the kid had left a mark on his body, a symbol of protection, he'll now carry for the rest of his life. A tear of joy rolled down his face and he felt their bond was even stronger than ever before. “Thank you, kid… “ he whispered and rubbed his eyes. 

After he was finished, he went back to the bedroom, where the child was still sleeping. He had not moved at all and Din started getting really concerned about his condition. But actually, he felt himself getting weaker too. His body just begged for rest now, or was it something different? He felt empty and worn out. And he couldn’t even rejoice the victory over Gideon and the probable final fall of the empire because he felt his boy was not feeling well now. 

Tired, he slipped underneath the blanket, putting the child on his bare chest. “Please tell me you’re gonna wake up again.” he whispered and now that he was holding him, Din slowly became aware of the fact, his boy wasn’t just sleeping. Tears started to brim his eyes and he placed a kiss on the kid's forehead. “I’m with you….. wherever you are right now.” he cried and he couldn’t hold his tears any longer. Din had never before cried himself to sleep, but this time, he couldn’t resist. He felt the child’s presence again and suddenly, he appeared right in front of his eyes. Safe and soundly. 

“Kid, please don’t go where I can’t follow you.” he begged and fell on his knees. The little one put a comforting hand on his arm and smiled at him. ‘Are you coming with me, Dad?’ the kid’s words sounded in his mind. Din nodded and got up. The kid turned around and a bright light was appearing behind him and it expanded toward them. Din immediately felt being drawn into it. There would be no pain and no grief. The kid smiled widely and hugged him as the light embraced them…..


	15. Healing

Ahsoka looked up suddenly. “What’s wrong?” Sabine asked her curiously. “I felt something, something happened.” she replied, still holding her hurt arm. “You should see the boys and check this out.” the female mandalorian said and pointed at her arm. “Yeah, probably…” she said and got up. Quickly, the former Jedi left the bridge and a confused Sabine and Pershing behind. She started running, never before she had felt such a strong disturbance of the force and then suddenly nothing. A quick tab on her vembrace and she called Sam and Dan. Instinctively, she ran to Din and the Child’s room. 

The door opened slowly and it was dark inside. “Din?” Ahsoka asked cautiously and stepped further, the two healers hot on her heels. “Ahsoka, what is wrong?” Sam asked with a gnawing feeling in his stomach. “I can’t explain, I just felt something happened.” the Togruta explained and the three slowly approached the bed in the middle of the room. “They are sleeping, like we told them to. What’s the big deal?” Dan asked, confused as Ahsoka bent over the two sleeping forms on the bed. Din was lying on his bed, his eye shut tightly but his expression was peaceful, cradling the child on his chest, who seemed to be sleeping as well. 

Both almost not noticeable breathing. Ahsoka spread her hand over them and closed her eyes, focusing. The healers just looked at each other until the Jedi`s arms started trembling and she gasped. “Ahsoka what is it?” Sam asked and rushed at her side. “They are not just sleeping….” she whispered and held her breath for a moment. The two healers exchanged worried glances and gathered around Din and the Child, preparing for whatever was wrong with them. “They are in a coma. A healing coma. Bonded by the force. They won’t awake until both are ready to.” the Togruta stated, but Dan and Sam started, checking Din’s and the Child’s pulse and breathing. 

“Their vitals seem to be okay, but you are right, they are in some sort of coma.” Sam said concerned. “What is this ‘coma’? They’re physically alright.” Dan asked and turned to the Togruta. Ahsoka sighed and turned to the massive window facade, looking at herself in the reflection. “I’ve only heard stories about it. But when a force-sensitive’s powers are too weakened, he can go into this state. It’s like you’re rebooting yourself, healing and recharging. When the kid saved Din, he pushed himself way beyond his limits. It almost killed him. And it seems, Din has decided to go with him. Their bond is now stronger than ever. But there’s a risk, both will never wake up anymore. It’s a condition where you are in your most vulnerable state and if you don’t make it through it, your next step will be death. But if you are too badly hurt, mentally, it can help you to survive.” Ahsoka explained, but Sam shook his head. “And what about Din? He’s not force sensitive.” 

“That’s not correct, he has some connections to the force. He doesn’t know about it probably and he’ll never get the abilities of a Jedi, but strong enough to sense it. Or how do you explain the bond he’d had with the child through the distance?” she asked the healer, who was lacking words now. “I sensed it the first time I saw him. And it grew stronger, the longer the connection lasted. And it seems to be strong enough now for the child to take him with him into a coma. They can not be separated, not here and not through distance. But now, we can’t do anything for them until they decide to return or they decide to go a step further. But at least they’re together” the Jedi finished her explanation and looked sadly to the ground. 

“So there’s nothing we can do for them?” Dan asked and Ahsoka shook her head. As a healer, it bugged him to be unable to help. Suddenly, the door to Din’s room opened and Sabine stepped in. “Is here a party going on or what?” she asked cheerfully but then noticed the sad faces. “What happened?” she asked quickly as panic rose inside her. “They fell into a coma. It’s not certain if they’re gonna wake up again.” Sam explained and the female mandalorian’s jaw dropped. “No….why?” she asked and turned to Ahsoka. The Togruta explained everything to her, but that didn’t calm her. 

“There must be something we can do for them. I’m gonna head back straight home to Mandalore and maybe there’s someone who can help.” she said and turned to the door, ready to leave. “No, there is nothing you can do for them, it’s all happening in their minds. Their bodies are intact, this is not a medical condition.” Sam said, a little offended and crossed his arms over his chest. “Sorry, I didn’t want to question your skills.” Sabine reassured. Nevertheless, she turned away and left the room. 

Ahsoka and the healers exchanged confused glances. “So, what are we going to do now?” Sam asked and turned to the others. “Well, I guess our first stop is going to be Mandalore then.” Ahsoka said and left the room as well. As soon as she was in the hallway, Sabine called her on her vambrace. “Ahsoka, I’m gonna take our ship, you have to fly this Star Destroyer to my home planet and I’m going to meet you there. I have some business to take care of. Take care of Din and the child…. and of yourself of course. Over and out.”

That was the last thing they heard from Sabine for the next few days. Sam and Dan had set up a small medical bay in their room to monitor them. And since their bodies started to get drained, both were given artificial nutrition. Sam and Dan had never felt so helpless. Ahsoka stayed for a few visits too, trying to get a connection through the force, but the child seemed to have locked his and Din’s mind like a cocoon. 

Another few days passed and they arrived on Mandalore, waiting for Sabine in the planet's orbit. “She hasn’t arrived yet?” Dan asked worried. “No and i can’t reach her, I hope she’s okay” Ahsoka said sadly, afraid of losing another friend, while she looked over to the still comatose duo. Dan and Sam had told her, their bodies are getting weaker. 

A few hours of waiting later, their small ship finally came into sight. “Sabine, where have you been?” Ahsoka almost yelled as she landed the ship in the hanger. She rushed at her when she lowered the ramp. “Where have you been? Don’t scare me like this ever again” the Togruta said, while she was hugging her tightly. “Easy Ahsoka, I had a few rough days. Anyway, I’m back, how are ur patients? she asked and looked at their friends' faces. “Still in a coma, they are getting weaker.” Sam said and Sabine's cheerful face turned into worry again. 

“Now, tell us.Where have you been” Ahsoka asked, trying to change the subject. The female mandalorian turned around and put the bag she carried on the floor. She opened it and pulled out a shiny, silver mandalorian helmet with a T-shaped black visor. The others looked at her. “He definitely earned it back, his armor and his helmet. I dived deep to recover it and I visited the legendary Armorer on Nevarro, who helped me to mend it. I hoped he would be awake when I arrived.” Sabine explained and lowered her head.

Din had no idea how long he was sleeping. It felt like an eternity. Warm, white light was embracing him as he slowly opened his eyes. Never before he felt so sleepy. “Kid?” he asked and looked around, but suddenly, he felt a small hand touching his arm. Din turned to his side, surprised by the fact that his wounds seemed to have vanished. Actually, he felt stronger like never before, but mentally tired. “Kid, where are we?” he asked and he grabbed the little one’s hand. Both eyes locked and the mandalorian again was able to actually hear what the kid was going to say to him.

‘We’re safe here…. ‘

“But we are in some sort of dream, aren’t we?” Din asked, confused and the kid nodded.

‘Yes, but no one can hurt us here. We can stay here forever. You and me.’

“But Kid, this is not the way. You can’t stay here forever, this is not a life.” Din said urgently.

‘We can, I don’t want to go back, father.’  
“I promise, you will not ever have to go through anything like that. Gideon is dead, we are safe now in the real world. We can live our life, my boy.” the mandalorian said, pulling the little one closer. 

‘No, I don’t want to leave. You are safe here too. I don’t want you to get hurt again.’ 

“Kid, life is not about hiding and hoping no one is going to hurt you. It’s an adventure and sometimes you get hurt, but that won’t last forever though.” he said, trying to convince the kid, who lowered his ears. 

‘But, I just wanted to protect you. I don’t want to lose you again’ 

The kid started crying, like he never did before. Din picked him up and hugged him tightly. “You will never lose me. Even if I’m not around, be sure I’m always in your heart.” Din said and kissed the kid’s forehead. The little one looked up and smiled. “Are you ready to return?” Mando asked and the white, warm mist, which laid upon them, cleared slowly.


	16. This is the Way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter, yay! I'd like to thank all of you guys for supporting the story. I was a pleasure to write and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

The child awoke with a start, the light was gone and at first he felt kind of scared leaving his safe place. But as his senses returned, he noticed the comfortable warmth of Din’s body where he was lying on. The slow and steady fall and rise of his chest calmed the kid again. Tiredly, his little head nuzzled on Din’s skin, his eyelids almost dropping again. The mandalorian still was fast asleep and really just asleep. The little one took him out of the coma as well.

A few minutes later, the little one was finally able to get up again. The coma had served its purpose and brought back his energy. He felt alive again and stronger than ever. Slowly he slipped off Din’s chest and went to his head. Never before the kid had seen him sleeping so peacefully and he almost didn’t want to wake him. Carefully the little one tapped on his shoulder, but the mandalorian didn’t stir at first. It took a few attempts until he finally eliced a low groan from him. 

The mandalorian turned to his side, his eyes still closed. Suddenly, he saw the scar on Din’s chest and as the kid touched it, he noticed the matching shape with his little hand. The kid couldn’t remember he did this, actually he barely remembered anything from that procedure. He only knew, he somehow managed to make his father's heart beating again and then nothing. But the longer, he kept lying his hand on the scar, the more images flickered up in his mind. The blood, Gideon and Din’s dead body in front of him. It scared him, but suddenly he felt the mandalorian was grabbing his little hand. 

The baby startled by the sudden touch, but a second later he saw Din opening his eyes, the light’s intensity burning his sensitive pupils at first. A big smile started to spread on the kids face. “Hey….” Din whispered sleepily and pulled him closer. “Is this real? Are you okay?” he added and put his hand on the child's cheek. Now tears began streaming freely down on the little one’s face and he threw his short arms around Din’s neck. 

Ahsoka and her friends had gathered on the ship's bridge, no one felt like talking at the moment. Sabine held Din’s helmet in her hands and watched it intensely, hoping it’s owner would be able to wear it again. Sam and Dan kept themselves busy by checking the ship’s controls and talking to Dr. Pershing, who finally had decided to officially join the group. And it seems like he just made a big step out of his trauma of serving the empire. 

Suddenly the Togruta looked up as she felt something. “Sabine? Sabine!” she said and got up. The female Mandalorian gave her a confused glance, but when she saw the excitement in her face, she knew that something good must have happened. “Are they…?” she quested and it was confirmed with a silent nod. “Guys, come on!” she called the others and the group ran directly to Din’s and the child’s sleeping quarters. 

When they opened the door, a huge weight fell from their hearts as they found Din, comforting the sobbing child. The little one couldn’t stop crying since the mandalorian was awake again. “Shhh, it's okay. I’m here and I’m not going to leave you.” he whispered, rocking the small bundle in his arms. At first he didn’t notice they’ve got company. Ahsoka and the others walked into the bedroom and Din finally looked up. “Din…. are you okay?” she asked cautiously and approached them. “Yes, I’m fine. He’s just glad to be back again.” the mandalorian explained and looked down to his little fellow, who stared back with big, watery eyes. 

Sam and Dan wanted to check on Din and the child, but Sabine stopped them. “Do you remember, what happened? You’ve been in a coma for a couple of days. You and the kid. We were worried sick.” Sabine said and sat down at the edge of the bed. Din rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I remember only a few things, but I remember the light, which drew me into something I can tell if it was real.” he said and looked at the others. Ahsoka smiled and hugged him. “It’s so good to have both of you back, you really scared us.” she said and Din patted her back. 

Sam bent down to the child. “Seems like this little fellow is feeling better too. The coma healed both of you.” he stated and fondled the little ones ears. “Looks like we both needed some kind of reboot after all the misery.” the mandalorian said softly and smiled. “So what are your plans now?” Ahsoka asked. “I don’t know exactly, I think it's most important to get a new ship at first and then we’re gonna continue our journey.” Din said thoughtfully, kind of doubting. 

“Well, I figured you’re gonna say that. And I have a few gifts for you.” Sabine chuckled and pulled the helmet out of her bag. When Din looked at it, he instantly felt his stomach twisting. “How did you?... No, no I can’t take it back. This is not the way. I lost it in a fight, I can’t put it on again.” he said and backed up, like she was holding something dangerous in her hands. “I knew, you’re going to say that and let me tell you, that I spent days trying to find it. It was buried deep on the seabed and it was hard to recover it. Since it was broken, I visited the Armorer on Nevarro and told her everything that happened. At first, she refused to help, but when I told her, what you did to save your foundling and you helped to reclaim the Darksaber, she agreed and we both decided you earned your helmet and your armor back.” Sabine explained and placed the item on Din’s side. 

At first he struggled to even touch it, still he felt the bitterness of defeat. “No, I can’t take it back…” he mumbled. “You can, I’m the current owner of the Darksaber and I agreed to keep it for now. It’s quite a responsible task and I will keep it until I find someone, who is capable of being the next leader of all the clans. And as the temporary leader and keeper of the Darksaber I say, you earned your armor, helmet and your honour back. You literally gave you life to save your foundling, to save a friend’s life and to reclaim our precious symbol of leadership. There’s no greater honour and this is really the way.” Sabine said and nodded approvingly as Din finally put it back on.

“By the way, you now are allowed to remove it in front of your friends and family. I don’t wanna talk to a bucket though.” the female mandalorian chuckled. Din felt weird to have it back on, it was an old familiar, but also a new feeling to it. But when he looked at the child, he pulled it off again. “I have a few more things for you.” Sabine said and started stacking pieces of Din’s beskar armor on the bed. “We don’t want you to roam the galaxy half naked, so here’s the rest of your armour and I added a few little details to it.” she said and Din saw the Mudhorn Signet was now painted in gold. Further he noticed, he now had a mythosaur symbol on the left side of his chestplate, it had the same golden colour. Cautiously, he ran his fingers over it.

“I thought you earned the Mythosaur Signet for all your efforts and to make sure you never forget who you are.” Sabine said as Din’s jaw dropped. “Are you sure I am worthy enough to wear it?” he questioned. But the female mandalorian just nodded. Din had trouble hiding some tears, so he looked down to the kid, who smiled happily at him. “Looks like almost everything is back to normal and we can continue our journey.” he said and rubbed the childs back. 

But suddenly, Ahsoka cleared her throat. “There’s one more thing. You can’t travel without a ride and since we have this big baby here, you can take your small ship, if you want.” she said and crossed her arms over her chest. Din knew there was no way to refuse this offer. 

A few days passed and Din prepared for their journey to continue. When everything was finished and the new ‘Razor Crest’ was resupplied and refueled it was time to say goodbye. It was harder for the mandalorian as he expected. “I hope you spend Mandalore a visit some day.” Sabine said and hugged him tightly. Ahsoka spent a little time with the kid in her arms, feeling his powers had grown in the last days. “Take good care of him and yourself.” she said and reached the baby over to him. “Do you really want to bring him back to his kind? I mean, you are a family now and I’m pretty sure it would break his little heart.” she said with a sad tone in her voice.

Din sighed, actually he thought of this problem before. “I think, when it is about time and I’ve found his kind it’s his decision with whom he wants to be. I can’t choose over his fate.” Din said and scratched the kid behind his ears, which made him chuckle. “I think he already made a decision. May the force be with you.” the former Jedi stated and waved them goodbye.


End file.
